Not A Hero, Not For Hire
by Soleneus
Summary: Shepard's gone, the Normandy's gone. I failed. Now I've got two years to make sure I never fail again, and to do that, I need to sharpen my skills, gain new ones, and wreak havoc on the criminal side of the Galaxy. Nothing's ever that simple, but I've got a lot of rage to express. It's time to Hunt. OR Hero 3: Hero Hard with a Vengeance.
1. Rising From the Dead

_The_ Normandy _exploded as Zaira sailed out into space, her path inexorably driven towards the looming ice planet. She watched, her breath calm despite her thundering heart, as her faithful ship was pierced by scintillating yellow lasers, a death-blow that resulted in her ship detonating completely. She bit her lip in agonized frustration, helpless but to watch as her home was taken from her…and then she heard the sound. The sound all EVA operators fear: the hissing of oxygen as it escaped her tanks._

 _Before she could struggle, however, a figure burst through the wreckage, taking her up in its arms, the jetpack on its back shining as it flew them away from the planet below. A hand closed over her flailing oxygen tubes, clamping them in place with an application of omni-gel. "I knew you'd come for me," she murmured, her hand cupping the figures' cheek._

" _Of course," Saul replied just as softly, pulling her to him as they drifted peacefully. "I'd never let you die, not if I can help it."_

" _Shame you did, then," Zaira said gently, her helmet floating away to reveal pallid grey skin, her silken blue hair ragged and frost-bitten, her vivid yellow eyes opaque. "This is your fault, you know?"_

" _I know," he answered casually, gently brushing a frayed lock of hair out of her eyes, cupping her cheek lovingly. "And believe me, I'll suffer for this. I_ know _I will."_

" _Yeah. If you suffer enough, I might even forgive you one day," she smiled mockingly, her wrinkled lips parting to show her broken teeth. "But until then…"_

 _Her hand, burnt and melted armor fused to her skin, reached into his chest, piercing metal, flesh and bone like water, her icy fingers closing around his heart. Saul peered into her dull eyes even as his globes of his blood, stark and red, floated across his vision. "I'll take this," she whispered, pulling it from his body with ease._

" _Take it," he murmured, stroking her cheek. "It belongs to you, anyways."_

" _Indeed," Zaira agreed, peering at the beating organ clutched in her skeletal fingers, before giving him a sardonic smile. "This is a dream, you know that right?"_

" _Of course it is," he answered, leaning his forehead against hers. "It doesn't matter, though. Even though you're dead…being close to you is all I want. I don't care how."_

" _Mmm," she hummed, her empty hand finding the release to his helmet, the faceplate sliding open. "I agree."_

 _Her lips met his, cold and withered as ice spread through his veins, the sheer cold burning in his veins, scarring his skin, covering him in a layer of fire that would not go out._

 _And even then, he kissed her._

…

I'd like to say that I woke up screaming, sobbing my heart out as the dream faded and reality returned. I didn't, though. As I opened my eyes, the right side of my vision blurry, I didn't cry or scream. I felt nothing. I felt empty.

And as I sat up, I looked down at the armor encasing my hands, clenching them into fists as the remnants of the painkillers faded and burning pain filled my body; felt the life-support system pumping air into my lungs, heard it exhale with a soft purr, felt the healing tear in my throat twitch as oxygen passed through it.

My body, broken and ravaged by gravity and friction, is locked in a cage just to keep it all together.

Tevos says it's a miracle. She thanks the Goddess every time she sees me, holding my hand tightly as she cries. And I can't even touch her skin.

I don't know how I survived. I don't think I did. And the constant burning agony flowing through my veins, spiking with every twitch makes me wish I hadn't come back. Makes me wish that whatever brought me back, didn't.

But I deserve this. I failed her. I failed Zaira. The pain of my body is nothing compared to absolutely crushing weight of my guilt and her absence.

This is my Hell. And I deserve this.

But this is not what I'll do for the next two years. I couldn't face her if I did. Moping and brooding is all well and good, but I've got things to do, plans to set in motion. People to find, people to convince, and people to kill.

"We're approaching Omega now, Saul," Jade whispers into my ear, her implant sending soothing waves of static over my brain. "I'm tracking Liara now. She's met up with a Drell."

"That'll be her contact," I mutter, my voice dry, cracked and rough, the mechanical breathing punctuating my statement. "It'll take her awhile to find out what she needs to know. We'll watch her from a safe distance, make sure she's safe."

"And when she finds what's she looking for?" She asks cautiously.

"I'll take the first step towards fixing my failure," I reply gently, my hands tightening on the arms of my seat. "Nothing will get in my way."

…

Liara T'Soni wiped the thick blood from the blue skin of her cheek, scowling minutely as she stepped over the corpse of the Blue Sun krogan with half a skull left, her drell contact stoically following. "Who's there?" she called, palming her pistol as she gazed at the origination of the bullets that killed the Blue Suns.

A sky-car pulled to a stop next to them, the door opening with a hiss as a figure stepped out, heels clicking against the floor. The figure unfolded from the car, the light playing across the white hexagonal patterns of her clothes. Cold blue eyes peered from a beautiful if stern face, her shoulder-length raven hair artfully messy, the white and black catsuit clinging to her generous curves.

Liara took in her form for a second, before her eyes found the black diamond flanked by orange chevrons on her lapel. "Cerberus," she muttered distastefully. "What do you want?"

"To help, obviously," the woman replied, her Australian accent lined with condescension. "Come with me. There's someone who wants to speak with you…and even offer some help in _acquiring_ the item you're searching for."

The asari grimaced but acquiesced. "I will take whatever help I can get," she said quietly, glaring at the woman. "But if this is some kind of trap…" Liara flicked her fingers sharply, the shadows to her left undulating as female figure clad entirely in black armor stepped out, her blank helmet focused on the Cerberus Agent.

Miranda barely blinked, motioning towards the sky-car. "I assure you, you won't be harmed, even if you don't believe me," she stated, gracefully taking the drivers seat. "Enough grandstanding. Get in. Please."

Liara huffed quietly and circled the car, getting in the other front seat while her contact and her shadow got in the back. As it rose into the air, the sniper stood from his hidden perch, the single red optic on his mask watching them as they drove.

"You are aware of Cerberus'…prejudices, Liara?" The drell asked in the dry, scratchy tone characteristic to his species.

"I am, Feron," she replied stoically, watching Miranda out of the corner of her eyes.

"We both want the same thing, Dr. T'Soni," the human replied evenly, guiding the car down into an empty space next to a nondescript building. "But you don't have to take my word for it." She opened her door and stepped out, leading the way inside the building.

It was empty except for a pad on the ground, which lit up as they approached. Light shimmered and danced before it coalesced into the form of man wearing an immaculately tailored suit, a burning cigarette held casually in his hand. His eyes glowed blue with cybernetics, flicking over Liara, Feron and their shadow. "Doctor T'Soni, I presume?" He asked cordially.

"I am," she replied coolly, folding her arms. "You're the Illusive Man."

He nodded agreeably, taking a drag of his smoke. "I am," he said simply, exhaling a small cloud. "Let's not waste time, Doctor: We both want Shepard's body, although for different reasons. I assume you wish to have it buried; a fine thought for a departed friend. But think on this: what if, instead, she could be brought back?"

"That's impossible," Liara denied with a shake of her head. "When one dies, they _die_. It's permanent."

"Is it?" The Illusive Man asked softly, arching an eyebrow. "Does it have to be? With the right materials, the right knowledge and ability, along with plenty of credits, anything's possible with modern technology. All of which I already have, with the exception of the most important piece: the body."

"And you want me to retrieve it for you?" The asari deduced, narrowing her eyes.

"Exactly. Given your history with Shepard and your not insubstantial combat skills, not to mention your backup," he waved a hand at the silent Feron and the shadow next to him, "You are in the best position to retrieve Shepard's body. All I ask is that, after you succeed, you hand the remains to Cerberus, and we will bring her back."

Liara closed her eyes in thought, the smirking visage of Zaira playing across her mind, followed by the grinning face of Saul, his organic eye glinting with humor. "What I wouldn't give to have them back," she murmured, allowing the deep well of sorrow to show on her face before her eyes snapped open. "And what if you can't?"

The Illusive Man shrugged dismissively. "Then we'll hand the body to the Alliance to buried with full honors," he answered calmly. "Do we have a deal, Dr. T'soni?"

She sighed deeply, her eyes hard as she glared at the head of Cerberus. "As far as retrieving the body goes, yes. But only in this, and nothing else. Everything you stand for is _beyond_ deplorable and I want nothing to do with you…but if you can bring Zaira back, then yes, we have a deal."

"Good," the Illusive Man nodded. "Now, before we part ways, I have some information for you; the Blue Suns are attempting to sell Commander Shepard's body-"

"Captain," Liara cut in flatly.

He blinked once. "Ah, you're correct. They are attempting to sell _Captain_ Shepard's body to Agents of the Shadow Broker," his eyes flickered to Feron for a brief second, "and the Shadow Broker will try to trade it with the Collectors for their advanced technology. The Collectors are an unknown, more so than the Geth, but they've always sought select groups, never just one specimen. If at all possible, you should try and discover why they're so interested. I have no doubt it will be important."

"I make no promises but I _will_ try, if only to sate my own curiosity," the asari scientist replied bluntly. "Is there anything else?"

"That's all the information I have. The rest is up to you," the Illusive Man replied, taking another drag on his cigarette. "Good luck."

And with that, his projected form blinked out, leaving them in a darkened room. "Liara," Feron spoke up, "our meeting with Aria T'Loak isn't for another few hours, and our day won't get any easier from here. I suggest we catch up on some rest, if you need it."

"A good idea," Miranda agreed sternly. "There's furniture up the stairs that you can use. If you need me, I'll be in the office." She tapped a nearby door and stepped inside, Feron swiftly disappearing up the stairs to leave Liara and her Shadow alone.

The Asari Scientist allowed herself to slump, bringing a hand to her face as she sighed deeply. Her shadow reached up and removed her helmet, revealing sympathetic features and darker blue skin. "They're right," Aelida said softly, putting a comforting hand on her daughters back. "You've been running yourself ragged this past month, Liara. You need rest."

The younger woman rubbed her face, sniffling quietly. "I know," she murmured, "I know…but I can't sleep. Everytime I close my eyes, I see their faces, the accusation…I should've been there. I could've-"

"You could've done nothing, Little Wing," her mother interrupted firmly. "What's done is _done_. I know it hurts…I share your pain," she whispered miserably, biting her lip as moisture gathered in her eyes. "But wallowing in guilt and suffering helps no one, Liara. We must continue living. To do otherwise…is to dishonor their memory."

"I know, mother," Liara muttered, wiping her eyes harshly. "I just…will this pain…will it ever go away?"

Aelida shook her head. "No. But, in time, it'll fade. Eventually." She wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders, guiding her up the steps to an empty couch, pushing her down before taking a seat. The older asari gently pulled Liara's head down to rest on her lap, softly brushing her fingers across her scalp crests. "Sleep, Little Wing. I'll watch over your dreams."

Her daughter huffed quietly but made no other move, her eyes slowly fluttering closed as the soothing touch drew her consciousness away.

…

Hours later, a sky-car parked near the Afterlife, the largest club on Omega and Aria's castle in her little kingdom. Liara and Aelida stepped out, followed by Feron. Miranda gave them a short nod before closing the doors and lifting away, leaving them on the street.

"So, Feron," Liara began casually, her fingers twitching minutely. "When were you going to tell me you work for the Shadow Broker?"

The orange-and-green drell paused, his eyes widening slightly as he felt the cold edge of a blade pressing against his neck. "I knew you would catch on, Liara, but not this quickly," he muttered, "I honestly don't know. There never seemed to be a right time."

"If you work for the Shadow Broker, why are you helping us retrieve Shepard's body?" She asked suspiciously, biotics flickering dangerously around her fingers.

"For personal reasons," he answered, grunting softly as the edge of the sword pressed deeper, a thin drip of blood sliding down his throat. "I don't agree with what the Broker's doing. Selling information is one thing, but stealing the body of a hero? It doesn't sit right with me. And you need help."

Liara glanced at her mother, her helmet now securely in place, and nodded slightly. Aelida withdrew her sword, sheathing it on her back as she melted into the shadows. "Fine. We'll stay together, for now. But…" She leaned in closely, a band of blue coalescing around his throat. "If you even _think_ of betraying us, I'll _flay_ you alive. _Slowly._ With my _mind."_

Feron nodded tightly, gritting his teeth at the pressure. "I understand," he said lowly, sighing as the band faded and he could breathe freely. "We don't want to be late meeting Aria."

Liara nodded silently and followed him, passing the line into the club and walking up to the elcor bouncer, who checked them off a list and allowed them through. Inside, holographic flames burned in time to the low, driving beat as scantily clad women of all races writhed and danced out of reach above the floor or on tables. She pushed through the crowd, avoiding flailing limbs and spilling drinks, warning off any potential harassment with a glacial stare and subtle flaring of her aura.

Aria overlooked her kingdom from a raised platform in the back, lounging languidly on a couch with something alcoholic and expensive on hand as she read a message on her omni-tool. Two guards stood by her stoically, with another two guarding the stairs leading to her couch of power.

One of the guards, a pale batarian with a placid scowl, stopped them with a raised hand. "The boss isn't seeing anyone right now," he said flatly.

"My name is Feron," the drell introduced, nodding to Liara, "And this is Liara T'Soni. We were told to meet Aria at this time."

The batarian's eyes flickered as he mentioned the asari's name. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as Aria spoke. "Let them up, Anto," the Queen of Omega said, her smoky contralto easily carrying despite the pounding music, "I'm expecting them."

Anto closed his mouth and stepped aside, jerking his head in a nod and let them pass. They ascended the steps and stood before Aria, shifting uncomfortably as her guards glared stoically, fingering their weapons while the Queen of Omega lounged on her couch. Her eyes, a lighter blue than Liara's, scanned the display for a few seconds longer before looking up at the pair, a knowing smirk curving her lips.

"I'd ask what a Prothean Researcher and some drell want with Shepard's body, but I already know. The Blue Suns are selling it to the Shadow Broker, and the Broker wants to trade it to the Collectors. Hmph. Never trusted any of those parties, and I like their cooperation even less," she scooped up her glass and took a long, slow drink, her throat bobbing gently. "I'll tell you what you want to know, but I have a price."

"What price?" Feron asked stiffly, narrowing his dark eyes on the older Asari.

Aria glanced at the drell for a scant second before scoffing. "Not from you, drell." Her gaze landed on Liara, her smirk growing. "From you. I know you have access to the new cloaking technology, and the various companies are being surprisingly tight-lipped with the schematics. You have them, I want them."

"It isn't like I carry them around everywhere," said Liara, frowning, her hands crossed behind her back.

"Of course not," the Queen of Omega nodded, turning her head to look at empty space behind her couch. "But you do, don't you?"

A tense silence fell, Aria's guards shifting noisily before bringing their weapons up as a blurred outline vaulted over the couch, standing in front of Aria. "How'd you know?" Aelida asked suspiciously, her camouflage dying with a ripple.

Aria smirked smugly, tapping an earpiece that began to glow, a holographic visor forming over her eyes. "You're not the only Matriarch he likes," she answered, chuckling quietly as Aelida stiffened. Then, her visage became cold. "Do we have a deal or not? I don't like wasting my time."

Liara nodded to her mother, who grudgingly sent the schematics to Aria, her scowl hidden by her helmet. "There," she bit out, "You have what you want."

The Queen of Omega opened her omni-tool, slowly and deliberately scanning the information given to her. "Hm. So I do." she crossed her legs, a victorious smile curving her lips. "Level Eighty-Three, an old processing plant for when they still mined this place. If you hurry, it should take you five minutes to get there."

As they made to leave, Aria raised a hand finger and her guard closed around them, their weapons clicking menacingly. "What?" Liara growled, clenching her fists as her biotic aura flickered. "What else do you want?"

"Nothing from you," Aria dismissed, her eyes fixed on Feron. "You. Feron. I know your name. I know your face. And I know who you work for. If you ever set foot here again…well, I'll just leave it to your imagination. Understood?"

Feron nodded tightly, his lips thin. "Understood."

"Good," the Queen nodded, waving dismissively, her guards standing down. "Now go. Have fun storming the castle." She chuckled throatily at their confused looks, tipping her drink back with a content sigh.

The trio quickly pushed through the crowded dance floor and made their way outside, stopping at a nearby terminal to call down a sky-car before piling in. Their car blazed through the air, dodging through the chaotic traffic as they raced to the lower levels, the crowded airspace clearing slightly as they grew closer.

As Aria had predicted, they arrived within five minutes, hovering down over an abandoned building as they saw the Blue Suns patrolling the perimeter. Leaving the car, Liara and Aelida jumped between the buildings with Feron following swiftly, infiltrating the complex through a gap in the roof. Besides the patrol outside and the occasional mercenary inside, the area was mostly bereft of people, and the trio met no obstacle heading deeper.

Eventually, they emerged into a wide-open space, where the workers had once loaded crates of refined metal onto ships for transit off-station. Broken down boxes and a few rusted turrets dotted the otherwise empty dock, the smooth silver ship and the white and blue of the mercenaries easily catching the eye.

They crept up as close as they dared, peering through the gaps of a wall of old crates, the voices of the two leaders carrying over the distance. "Ugh, Tazzik," Feron muttered distastefully.

"-pretty big for a Salarian," the leader of the Blue Suns, a massive krogan with series of short scars on his plate grunted, peering at a tall, muscular Salarian with a grenade launcher on his back.

Said Salarian grunted right back, shrugging his heavily armored shoulders. "I get that a lot," he said bluntly. "Do you have it?"

"Right down to business," the krogan muttered, waving a hand. "I've got it right here. You got the payment?"

"I do," the salarian replied gruffly. "And you'll have it as soon as the DNA check passes."

The krogan chuckled as two more Blue Suns approached the group pushing a hover trolley, a frosted-over containment tube laying on it. "The body of one Captain Zaira Shepard," he announced, stepping aside to let it pass.

Liara clenched her fists and made to stand, the action being arrested by Feron grabbing her shoulder. "What?" she grunted, her fingers twitching towards her pistol.

"We have the element of surprise," he whispered, "We shouldn't give it away without setting up an ambush."

"He's not wrong," Aelida muttered, eyeing the area. "Liara, wait here while I sneak around to the far side. Feron, those turrets are rusty but still usable; take control of one and disable that ship. That'll be the signal to spring our trap."

"Understood," the drell nodded, padding off silently as Aelida faded into the shadows. Liara huffed impatiently, rolling her neck as she watched Tazzik scan the container.

Feron had just powered up and hacked the turret when the group began to stir. "Perimeter, check in!" A helmeted human barked, a hand to his ear. "Boss, the guards aren't checking in."

"That lazy ass Tayel's on perimeter, he's probably turned off his radio again," the krogan grunted, his arms folded as he leaned against a mostly-intact crate. "Keep trying."

"Yes sir," the man said, pressing his hand to his helmet. "Tayel, come in! Turn on your goddamn radio and answer the check!"

"Problems?" Tazzik asked, his eyes fixed on his omni-tool.

"Nope," the krogan replied, looking bored. "Just a dumbass not using his equipment."

 _ **Hooo-perr.**_

"And you haven't killed him yet?" The Salarian asked, disbelief coloring his stoic tone.

 _ **Hooo-perr.**_

"He's dumb, so he doesn't complain when I make him clean the bathrooms as punishment," the krogan smirked. "Our toilets have never been so clean."

 _ **Hooo-perr.**_

"Tayel, come the fuck on! This isn't funny anymore!" The communicating human growled in frustration. "Boss, Tayel's stupid but not this stupid, something's wrong."

 _ **Hooo-perr.**_

The Boss grunted in annoyance. "Send a couple of guys outside to see what's happening. I swear, if that dumb-ass kid left his radio behind again-what that's sound?" He stood sharply, his hand reaching behind him to rest on his shotgun.

Echoing metallic footsteps rang out as the shadows writhed, a figure stepping out into the dim light. His armor was colored mostly dark blue trimmed with gold, his boots and gauntlets being bone-white, with tubular attachments just above the wrists. His left pauldron was size larger than the right, emblazoned with a golden sun, his T-shaped visor glaring murderously.

 _ **Hooo-perr.**_

The sounds were painfully mechanical breaths, the noise of a person so damaged they couldn't even breathe without assistance. " **Your perimeter isn't responding,"** when he spoke, his voice was deep, distorted and growling, interrupted by the low artificial breath, the combination sending a dreadful chill up their spines. " **Because they're dead."**

"Saul," Liara whispered, her heart clenching painfully as she gaped in disbelief. "How…?"

Tazzik stilled, his fingers frozen over his omni-tool as he took in the figure. "That's not possible…"

"What's not?" The Boss growled, looking between the salarian and the armored figure. "Who is this, salarian? Your friend?"

" **My name is Saul Dewitt,"** the figure announced, drawing the hilt of a blade from his hip, the material creaking under his grip. " **You have something of mine. I'm taking it back."**

The krogan grunted. "Sorry, I already made a deal and I intend on following through. Maybe don't wait so long, next time."

" **I'm not trying to make a deal,"** Saul denied, his voice dropping to a venomous hiss. " **You took her body to sell off like simple cargo. For that…your death is assured."** He flicked his wrist, a glowing blue blade blazing to life as he let loose a distorted roar and leaped forward, wreathed in a biotic aura.

Feron's hand slipped and he fired, the turret shooting a heavy round that missed the critical systems of Tazzik's ship, glancing off the dense armor plating. "Ambush!" The hulking salarian shouted, drawing his grenade launcher and firing off a trio that blew the turret into hot scrap.

Liara stood from her hiding place with her pistol drawn, firing into the panicking mercenaries as Saul rampaged among them, his lightsaber divesting them of life and limb with rough, slow swings. Every blow was punctuated with enraged roars, his primal stance more akin to a monster than a man.

A pair of Blue Suns broke away from the melee, drawing back and readying their rifles when a sword emerged from one's chest, echoing with a crunch of pierced armor and bone. His partner gasped in shock and dismay as the sword was withdrawn, Aelida's cloak fading as she biotically batted his weapon away and beheaded him. She turned to the chaos as another group of mercenaries burst out of a nearby, drawing a growl from the body-displaced Matriarch as she brought her attention down to them instead, unleashing a Biotic Shockwave that bowled them over.

The Boss backed away, his shotgun raised but silent as he gritted his teeth and waited for a clear shot that never came. His back bumped against the crate he'd been relaxing against, dislodging the lid to reveal the old, rusted contents within. A grin crossed his face as he holstered his weapon and reached inside, grasping the end of a rusted pipe and pulling it free.

Saul bisected the last Blue Sun, cutting off her scream of pain as his lightsaber cut through her torso, turning with his momentum to find Tazzik struggling to pull the hover trolley holding Zaira's body into his ship. " **You!"** He barked, sprinting forward, drawing his lightsaber back when the end of a rusty pipe hit him in the face.

It was a glancing strike, most of the momentum diverting around his helm but it still hit hard, lights bursting behind his eyelids. "I didn't like most of them," the krogan grunted, smacking the blade out of Saul's hand before hitting him on the other side of the face. "But they were _my_ crew!" He drove the end into the human's stomach, folding him over as the air rushed out of his damaged lungs. The krogan drew back and hit Saul again, with a golf-swing to the head.

Saul spun through the air, hitting the ground with wheeze of pain as the front of his helmet skittered across the dirty floor. He curled into a weak half-fetal position, clutching his battered stomach as he tried, in vain, to breathe with wheezing, ragged inhalations.

The krogan stood over him, sneering with the pipe across his shoulders. "You are weak, and ruled by rage," he scoffed. "There would be nothing to gain by killing you." He hefted the pipe above his head and paused, adding an after-thought. "Except to make me feel better, of course."

He roared as he tensed his muscles and began to bring his makeshift weapon down, only to pause when the human suddenly rolled over, armed with a platinum hand-cannon. His eyes were blazing with rage and agony, blood dripping down his chin from his gritted teeth. The krogan could only read the inscription carved into the barrel of the gun.

 _Invictus._

Saul pulled the trigger and blew a melon-sized hole in the krogan's crotch.

The krogan released a hoarse, super-sonic wail that was mercifully cut short as Saul aimed the barrel up and destroyed most of his head and the hump behind it.

Rolling to his feet, the injured man stopped in shock as Tazzik's ship rose from the ground. " _No!"_ he growled weakly, firing off a trio of shots that dented the armor, but failed to do any significant damage. Dropping the gun, Saul threw his hands out, his fingers clawed as his biotics flared around him, the purple aura nearly blinding.

The ascending ship rocked violently as a biotic bubble wrapped around it, trying to pull it back down. The engines glowed and whined as Tazzik pushed against the barrier, Saul's feet dragging along the ground as brought his power to bear, the engines guttering as they strained.

Grunting in frustration, the hulking Salarian pushed out of his chair, slamming his hand into the console as he drew his grenade launcher. The door opened and he leaned out, sighting down at the glowing human. His first shot went too far, blowing the corpses of the Blue Suns into even more pieces while his second shot was too short. Tazzik had to give the human credit for not even flinching from the heat and noise, but he had the range now.

He fired twice.

Saul's eyes widened as the grenade arched towards him, unwilling to let go and defend himself. "Saul!" A feminine voice shouted, a blue Barrier coalescing in front of him just in time to catch the first explosive. Then the second one hit. The detonation combined with the different biotics fields, the feedback overwhelming the barrier and exploding, hurling him through the air.

Tazzik cursed loudly as his ship jumped forward, clawing his way up to the cockpit to pull himself into the pilot's seat, seizing control just in time to avoid splattering himself across the rugged rock of the meteor. He closed the door and flew out into open space, leaving the ambushers behind with his prize securely aboard.

" _Dammit,"_ Saul wheezed, his blood flecking the old metal floor. He tried to breathe, shudders wracking his body as the sensation of inhaling powdered glass burned down his throat, slowly crawling across the floor, shakily reaching for his mask; only to find it being held by someone else. His eyes tracked passed the visor, following the arm holding it up to a familiar robin's-egg blue face, usually soft and smiling but now stretched with pain and sorrow.

"Saul?" Liara breathed, horror gripping her heart as she gazed at his face. "You…" she gulped audibly, her eyes hugrily taking in his ruined features even as tears tracked down her cheeks. "You're alive…"

Saul turned his face down, hiding it in the shadows. " _Mask,"_ he said weakly, his breath escaping a dry wheeze. " _Mask, Liara."_

The Asari Scientist jumped slightly before hastily handing the mask over, her empty hands coming up to cover her mouth. "Sorry," she whispered contritely. "I'm…so sorry…"

He brought the mask to his face and paused, gazing up at her with his organic eye, the sharp ice blue surrounded by the pink and red of bloodshot veins and burst vessels. He sighed inaudibly, pushing the mask home. The connections clicked, the front depressing as it sealed with a sharp hiss, his wheezing replaced with coldly rhythmic mechanical breaths. "Don't be," he murmured, his voice now a dark synthetic growl. Pushing himself up, he grunted quietly as Liara grabbed his arm and helped him up. "It's not your fault."

"I should've been there," she denied, her arms wrapping tightly around him, crushing herself against his chest.

"And that would've done what?" Saul asked, leaning his head against hers. "All that would've happened is put you in danger."

Liara bit her lip and nodded tightly, burying her face in his cold metal shoulder. "I'm so happy you're alive," she murmured hoarsely, ignoring the pinching against her cheek. "I thought you were dead…how did you survive?"

He pulled away from her, his head hanging. "I didn't," he answered lowly. "I died, Liara. But I came back… _somehow_. I don't know how or why. And something tells me I'll never find the answer."

The asari wiped her eyes, smiling softly. "I think that's a question I wouldn't mind letting go unanswered," she replied, taking his hand in both of hers. "Is Jade…?"

He nodded, tapping the side of his helmet. "She's in here."

" _And she's_ pissed!" Jade hissed, her glowing green form coalescing above Liara's omni-tool. " _I told you not to strain yourself, Saul! You did the_ exact _opposite! You set your recovery back by months, if not years!"_

"I was angry," he grunted dispassionately. "Still am." His head whipped around as Feron strode up, his gaze pinning the drell in place. " _You._ You _missed."_

Feron held his hands up. "I was surprised," he claimed, "It's not everyday you see a dead man come back, and that turret was so old I'm surprised it didn't explode as soon as I reconnected it." The drell scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "I am sorry, though. I shouldn't have missed."

Saul sighed, tethering his lightsaber back to him, looking around as a hand landed on his shoulder, coming face-to-mask with Aelida, her helmet hanging from her hip. "Goddess," she breathed. "You're alive…"

"Ahem," Feron cleared his throat. "We need to move. The nearest base is on Alingon, that's where Tazzik will be heading. We need to leave now to have any hope of catching up."

"Of course," Aelida sighed, stepping back. "We can talk during the journey."

"I called my ship, it's coming around now," the drell agent added as a small battered ship with deceptively powerful engines flew into view, settling down in front of them. "I'm used to traveling alone, so there isn't much room."

True to his word, the hold of his ship was cramped, most of the room taken up by an uncomfortable bunk and a workbench covered in pieces of random technology. Feron took control while Saul, Liara and Aelida crammed themselves in the hold, and had them off and through a Mass Relay in minutes.

"We'll be arriving in-system in a few hours," the drell announced, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "If you have catching up to do, now would be the time."

" _Sorry, ladies,"_ Jade spoke up, " _Saul needs to recover from his exertions while we have the time. As it is, we're not even at thirty percent combat capability."_

Saul huffed in displeasure. "Fine," he grunted, his head nodding forward as a drip of painkillers entered his system. He patted Aelida's thigh comfortingly even as he began to slow. "After we've retrieved Shepard…we'll make time and…catch…"

His head fell to his chest, the only sound emerging from him being the mechanical breathing. Aelida tugged on his shoulder, shifting his legs so his head rested on her thighs, her hand draped over his chest to feel slight movement as he slept, to reassure herself that he was still there despite everything.

"Jade," Liara murmured, bringing up her omni-tool. "Tell me…how bad is his condition?"

Saul's AI companion sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair. " _It's bad, Liara,"_ she admitted quietly, pulling up a holographic representation of her host that flickered to show his internal organs. " _Most of his organs are working, if barely, but they're recovering quickly. Eighty percent of his skeletal structure is covered in hairline fractures, and his most of his muscles are lacerated."_

"Goddess," the scientist breathed, gazing at the slumbering armored form with misty eyes. "He shouldn't even be _conscious_ , let alone walking and fighting! So _why_ is he?"

" _Because he wouldn't let you do this by yourself,"_ Jade replied, dismissing the figure. " _And because between being laid out in a hospital or fighting even in his condition, you know which one he'd choose. He's stubborn like that. As for why he's up and around…do you remember being told about his first adventure? He was thrown into a crate of spoiled medi-gel."_

Liara bobbed her head. "Vaguely, why?"

" _As a result, Saul gained a regenerative factor and deadend pain responses, but there was another side-effect that we only realized after he was retrieved. The Medi-gel Toxicity Threshold is the level where medi-gel stops healing and starts hindering, and Saul's threshold is very, very low. He's been in a coma for more than a month, Liara,"_ she stated seriously. " _Any other person would be almost completely healed. His road to recovery will be long, slow, and painful."_

"…But he will be better eventually, right?" Liara asked quietly.

" _Physically, eventually,"_ Jade nodded. " _Mentally speaking…who knows?"_

Silence descended for long time, Liara being lost in her thoughts, Jade monitoring Saul's condition while Aelida held his sleeping form. Eventually, though, it was broken. "Jade?" The younger asari asked, getting a hum in acknowledgement. "Where was he while he was in a coma?"

The green AI opened her mouth and paused, thinking. " _I can't say exactly, I don't have the clearance, but you should know…there exists a group, outside of any military, one with vast resources and capabilities…and they have a vested interest in keeping Saul alive."_ She sighed, shaking her head. " _That's all I can tell you at this point. You'll have to ask Saul to know the rest, but I doubt you'll get more than that."_

Liara wasn't satisfied, but she nodded in understanding. "One more question, Jade."

" _What is it?"_

"Why is his voice so deep now?"

For the first time since they'd been reunited, Liara saw Jade smile and heard her giggle, though she frowned slightly. "His throat is one of the most damaged areas on his body, so much so that he can't breathe without the suit on. Ironic, really, given that the original design was a medical exoskeleton and a mobile life support unit." The younger asari didn't see how that was funny. "It's also acting as an electrolarynx as well, but whenever I try to pitch it so that it sounds like he used to, he always makes it go deeper; something about trying to 'out-badass Darth Vader.'"

Liara joined her in giggling, allowing a fond smile to cross her face. That expression faded, to be replaced with a frown as she felt determined steel clasp her heart. _I don't care what it takes,_ she thought fiercely, watching her mother hold the man she loved. _I_ will _see this fixed._

…

"What can you tell us about Alingon, Feron?" Saul asked as they approached the planet, his movements a little more crisp and easy.

"It's a deadzone as far as communication goes," the drell answered. "It has extremely high concentrations of magnetic materials running throughout the planet, which creates a natural electromagnetic shroud. Because of that, all reports have to be made in-person."

Liara grimaced. "Sounds inefficient, making your agents leave their posts to report in-person," she grumbled, folding her arms.

"It adds an extra layer of security," Feron replied, but conceded her point with a nod, "It _is_ annoying, though."

"What's the plan? You know the area better than we do, Feron, so we'll follow your lead," the only human spoke up, leaning against the doorway.

"Do you have a camouflage unit?" he asked, receiving a nod in return. "Liara and I will go in as just another Agent coming to make a report with an escort, while you and Aelida follow along behind us invisibly. We'll ambush the transaction again, load the body onto my ship and leave, simple as that."

Inwardly, Saul scoffed. _It's_ never _that simple._ "Alright, we'll-"

The ship was suddenly rocked by gunfire, the console blaring an alarm as Feron seized the controls and sent them into a tight spiral through an asteroid field. "Does the Shadow Broker also open fire on all of his agents?" Liara asked acidly, " _That_ would be _very_ inefficient."

"No, he's just not a fan of unscheduled visits," Feron replied tightly, steering them through a narrow gap between two asteroids, the sentries trailing behind them exploding as they impacted the floating rocks at high speeds. The alarm continued as another pair of automated sentries joined the chase, spraying bullets as they nimbly swerved through the field. "Damn, these are hard to-oh, nevermind."

The sentries gave up and peeled off, leaving them to approach the Shadow Broker's base peacefully. "Thank you, Jade," Saul said smugly.

" _No problem,"_ she replied with a chuckle, " _It was pretty easy, actually."_

There were no more surprises as they landed in an open spot, Saul and Aelida rippling out of sight as their cloaks activated, leaving Feron and Liara to approach a pair of turians standing guard. The drell introduced Liara as an escort and the human had to resist the urge to break cover and strangle them as they leered at her, but kept it down. He was more surprised that Aelida managed to hold her temper, given the grip she had on his arm.

They were let through and continued down the hallway, side-stepping the occasional agent or guard, most of them muttering about 'the merchandise' arriving and it didn't take an AI to figure out what they were talking about. Feron explained to a glowering Liara just what went down in the base, trying to distract her from her growing anger at hearing the disrespect they were giving Zaira's body.

As the party crossed the corridor Feron suddenly threw a hand out, pulling Liara back into an alcove. A few seconds later, an odd pair walked by; made up of a short, rotund volus and a taller humanoid covered in a brown chitinous exoskeleton with a mouthless face and four dull yellow eyes, its head tapering back to a point. A strange rifle was attached to its back, made of the same material as its exoskeleton.

"A Collector," Saul muttered, his gauntlets protesting as he balled his hands into fists. Without another word, he slipped away to tail the two, knowing that the only reason such a creature would be onboard would be to collect Zaira's body. He followed the pair, silently seething as he watched the volus trying in vain to hold a conversation with the strange, aloof alien.

They came to a stop at a dock next to a ship covered in a similar-colored chitin, the volus still trying to build a rapport with the insectoid other. The invisible human dropped to his stomach and crawled under the ship, planting a tracker to the underside while Jade took subtle surface scans.

" _Saul, where'd you go?"_ Aelida hissed through clenched teeth. " _We're just about to face the Shadow Broker, we need your help!"_

Saul narrowed his eyes in thought, making no move to leave. "The Broker's not here," he replied, wrapping a hand around his lightsaber. "He knows Cerberus is on to him. With him, plus the Collectors _and_ Zaira in one place? Too rich a target."

He fell silent as a trio of agents entered the area, pushing the trolley containing Shepard's remains between them. Slowly, he crawled out from under the ship, putting his sword back and drawing his knife. As the Collector stepped forward, Saul lunged, slashing the chitinous alien across the side of its neck before driving his blade into its stomach, folding it over his arm. His free hand grasped the rifle on its back, aiming it at the volus before pulling the trigger.

A thin, dim yellow laser pierced the rotund alien, igniting the dense gas inside the suit and causing it to explode, showering the area in viscera as Saul spun and swept the laser across the Shadow Broker's agents, drawing a burning line into two of them. The third dived for the floor, coming up with a pistol as Saul ripped his knife free and hurled it, the blade lodging in the agent's throat.

He flinched as the Collector began to glow, light seeping through the cracks in its exoskeleton. For a split second, Saul imagined letting Harbinger assume control just so he could speak to it, to spit in its face and declare that Zaira would be back and together, they would destroy the Collectors and avenge the _Normandy_.

He didn't, though. Instead, he pulled the Collector's laser around and jammed the barrel under its chin and pulled the trigger, searing a hole through the top of its head.

The alien went limp and fell to the ground, smoking.

Panting, Saul turned to the trolley, setting the laser next to the frosted container holding the body of the love of his life, grasping it with both hands and pushing. "Jade, bring Feron's ship around! And tell the others to book it, we're leaving!" He growled, gritting his teeth as pain burned in his arms, stopping to yank his knife out of the corpse.

" _On it!"_ She replied swiftly, shouting over the radio. " _Guys, we have Shepard's body and I'm bringing the ship around! We're at Dock Six, get here_ now _!"_

" _On our way!"_ Aelida responded, the sound of gunfire and biotic attacks echoing over her end. " _Just get them out of the way, we need to move!"_

Feron's battered ship flew into view, sweeping over the dock to land in front of him, the door sliding open as he pushed the trolley towards it. " _Saul, behind you!"_ Jade called just as a grenade impacted his shields.

Spinning around, Saul found a group of agents closing in, led by a grimacing Tazzik wielding his grenade launcher. "You are _not_ stopping me!" he shouted, throwing a barrier up in front of him even as he pushed his back against the trolley, inching it towards the ship. Tyrant dug into his lower back as an onslaught of bullets and grenades pummeled his shield, his strength waning with every second of fire.

The trolley bumped into the ship, driving the kinetic energy weapon into his spine. Saul grunted at the spike of pain before an idea struck. Pouring the last of his power into the barrier, he threw his hands forward and released it, the shockwave stumbling the group of minions just long enough for him to draw Tyrant and overcharge it.

The gun nearly kicked out of his hands as it released a wave of pure kinetic energy, bowling over the group of agents and scattering them across the dock like leaves in an autumn gale. Saul paused for moment, stroking the gun like it was a cat. "I've got to use you more often!" He declared before turning back to the hover trolley, pushing it up into the ship with a strained grunt, the Collector Laser sliding off to clatter against the ground.

He had just gotten it fully inside when the first agent recovered and opened fire, the bullets draining his shield as he dove to the floor, coming up with the laser in his grasp. Saul swept the beam across the room at chest-height, sending the agents scattering for cover; two moved too late and fell with burning lines seared into their armor.

A jetpack powered jump took him to the top of the ship, giving him a better view of the area in front of him. He held the Collector Laser loosely in one hand, wildly sweeping the beam across the room as he fired rocket after rocket from his wrist launcher, ensuring that the Shadow Broker's agents wouldn't dare to even peek out from behind their cover.

Liara, Aelida and Feron burst out a doorway at a dead sprint, another group of guards nipping at their heels. Saul swept the beam across the room one last time before diving into the ship, carelessly tossing the laser inside. "Jade, take us up!" He barked, bracing himself against the door as the ship rose, Aelida jumping for him.

He grasped her arm and pulled her inside, the older asari hurrying into the pilot's chair as her daughter dashed for the ship.

Without the threat of being cut down by laser or exploded by rocket, Tazzik jumped out of cover and aimed at the departing ship, cursing as he realized that taking the shot would destroy Shepard's body. His eyes fell on the traitor, Feron, trying to escape. He took aim and fired.

The drell heard the whistling of the munitions and nimbly jumped aside, stumbling as the concussive force nearly swept his legs out from under him.

Liara poured biotics into her legs and jumped, barely clearing the increasing distance, her foot catching on the lip to send her tumbling into the hold.

Feron pumped his legs as he ran, his eyes fixed on the ever-rising ship as pulled farther and farther away. He lunged forward, using a sealed crate as stepping stone and leaped into the air, his arm outstretched. His hand met Saul's arm, his fingers desperately tightening around the human's wrist.

"I gotcha!" Saul grunted, bracing his other arm against the interior of the ship to lever the drell up.

A roar echoed out from beneath them as Tazzik followed Feron's example, using a stack of boxes to increase the height of his adrenaline-fueled jump, springing up to latch onto the drell's back.

Saul's knees buckled under the sudden weight, the lip of the ship's door impacting his armpit, dislocating his shoulder with a sickening crack. His hand went limp, dropping the drell and his salarian passenger to the floor far below. Liara seized him by the shoulders and hauled him inside, slapping the console to close the door.

Feron hit the ground hard, rolling nearly twenty feet before he stopped. His eyes followed the glowing engines of his ship as it burned a line in the atmosphere, fading into a miniscule dot, signalling their successful escape.

Then, an armored fist crashed into his face, and he knew no more.

…

The ship rocked as it hit the Relay, jostling Saul's aching shoulder as he laid on the cot. Liara had set it minutes before, and then went to speak with Aelida. She returned a few seconds later, her soft blue eyes showing concern. "How do you feel?" She asked softly, trailing a hand up his arm.

"It hurts but it's healing," he replied tiredly, his head lolling on the pillow. "I dropped Feron. We left him behind."

"I know," Liara murmured, sighing sadly. "Does it make me a bad person that I'm glad it wasn't you?"

"No, just kinda bitchy," Saul chuckled quietly. "I wouldn't have left _you_ behind. Despite being a traitor, he still willingly helped us recover Zaira's body. And for that, he has my gratitude."

The scientist huffed. "Seems like every word out of his mouth besides his name was lie," she muttered, frowning. Then, she sighed. "He wasn't just working for the Shadow Broker. He was also a mole for Cerberus."

The human blinked. "A double-agent?" He said incredulously. "A Cerberus double-agent who infiltrated the _Shadow Broker_? Shit."

She pulled a slim stick from her pocket, holding it up to the light. "He gave me this. It contains a large amount of data from the Shadow Broker's deals. It should give us an edge on tracking him down." Liara shook her head. "To think, we were already hunting him down. Now we have another reason."

"He wasn't in the base, huh?" Saul asked knowingly. "Knew it."

"You did," she agreed, storing the data stick. "Scoot over. I'm tired."

Saul did so, voicing his concern. "Liara…" he began awkwardly, "I'm not a particularly… _comfortable_ bed partner right now."

Liara arched an eyebrow at him. "You think I care?" she replied bluntly, "The man I love came back to life, helped me and my body-displaced mother retrieve the body of the woman I love so that, hopefully, a cabal of amoral racist scientists can try and bring _her_ back to life as well. If I don't end my day soon, I'm going to go insane."

"…Good point." He murmured, shifting as she lay down beside him, pushing her back against his chest. "Rest easy, Liara. We did it."

The asari scientist rest her head on his arm, sighing contently even as the cool metal chilled her skin. "Yes…we did."

…

"The body's in worse condition than I previously thought," Miranda said aloud, pacing around the capsule with a datapad in her hands. "A number of organs are completely ruined, will need replacements…maybe even cloned tissue. And then…" She paused, looking at a silent Saul, who was sitting nearby, his eyes locked on the corpse visible inside the capsule.

She slowly circled the pod to stand in front of him, blocking his view with her stomach. He jumped slightly, glancing up at her. "Yeah?" he asked hoarsely.

"It might be the most challenging test I've ever undertaken, but I believe I can bring her back," the Cerberus Agent said with quiet confidence. "I don't know how long it will take, months, maybe years."

"I know," he whispered, sighing and standing. "I just…please…"

She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, lightly pushing to guide him out of the room. "I'll do everything I can," Miranda asserted, "But for now, I need to get started."

Saul nodded and made to leave, stopping and turning to face her. "I'll be checking in," he stated, the lights glinting off the black of his visor.

"I know," she replied, motioning for him to leave. The door closed behind him, leaving Miranda alone with the body. Sighing, she took up her datapad again. "You're lucky, you know," she said to the corpse. "He's absolutely devoted to you. I'm sure if I said we couldn't bring you back without a chunk a of the Galactic Core, he'd travel there himself."

The body had no reply to that.

"Captain Shepard has been retrieved. The Lazarus Project will proceed as planned."

…

"Several of his deals took place on around Illium," Liara told her mother as they gazed into space, leaning against the railing as Saul joined them. "It'll be a good starting point, but I don't know how long it will take to track him down."

"I'm certain that you, Tela and myself will be able to come up with something quickly," Aelida replied calmly, turning her gaze to the human. "Will you be joining us, Saul?"

The armored human was silent except for his breathing. "No," he said finally, "I have too much stuff that I need to do; firstly, taking this laser apart and seeing how it works so I can make my own. Second…"

"What?" Liara asked.

Saul sighed. "…I should've saved her," he whispered, running hand down his faceplate. "I should've been able to save her…but I didn't. I failed. I'm not strong enough, and I _need_ to get better. So, that's what I'm going to do."

"You're still injured, beloved," Aelida rebuked gently. "You need to heal before you do anything strenuous…in more ways than one."

He shrugged carelessly. "Eh."

Seeing his stubbornness come into play, the older asari shook her head and acquiesced, but resolved to keep plying him. "How are you going to get stronger?" Her daughter asked curiously.

To their surprise, he chuckled lowly. "Back before I became an Investigator, I had this idea for some kind of dual-identity bullshit. PI by morning, Bounty Hunter by night. It was stupid, even before I realized how most people view bounty hunters, as mercenaries that turn on other mercenaries for money." He shrugged. "I need to hone my skills and make money, and what better way than hunting the worst criminals the Galaxy has to offer?"

"You'll need people, good people, to watch your back," Aelida pointed out. "And as smart as Jade is, she can't keep you safe at all times."

" _At least, not until_ the device _is ready,"_ Jade chimed in, her voice smug before Saul irritably smacked the back of his head. " _Whoops, I wasn't supposed to say that."_

"What device?" Liara asked suspiciously.

Saul glanced at them, minutely shaking his head. "…Don't worry 'bout it," he replied, standing from the railing. "I'm putting some feelers out, searching for some people. I'll always be just a call away."

Feeling the impending departure, Liara stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Remember that you're not alone," she whispered, squeezing him. "Whenever you need me, I'll be here." She brushed a few loose tears away. "And I expect a visit at least once a month."

"Of course," he nodded, rubbing her back before they separated and Aelida took her spot.

"There's nothing I could say that wouldn't be a reiteration of Liara's words, so I'll simply say that you also need to write once a week," she stated firmly, pulling her head back slightly. "Jade? Could you open his mask just a little bit?"

In response, the front of his mask opened just wide enough to expose his lips, the skin wrinkled with scar tissue and tinged with unhealthy mix of pink and grey. Aelida showed no compunctions about his appearance and leaned in, her lips meshing with his.

"M-Aelida!" The younger asari protested, her voice tinged with slight jealousy.

Her body-displaced mother stepped back, licking her lips as her eyes glittered. "I'll go get the ship ready," she murmured, cupping Saul's cheek one more time before she left.

Liara huffed and stepped forward, gently kissing Saul as well. "No matter what you look like," she whispered softly, "I'll always love you, Saul. Stay safe…please."

He nodded slowly as she turned to walk away, stopping once to peer at him over her shoulder before she disappeared.

Saul leaned against the railing unsteadily. "…Alright then," he muttered hoarsely.

…

 **Citadel Council Secure Meeting Room, Citadel**

Sparatus stared at his terminal, frustration and disbelief warring over his features. "…Are they serious?" He finally asked, looking up at the other Councilors.

"They seem to be, yes," Valern replied dryly.

"But…it doesn't make any sense!" The turian argued heatedly. "It would tie up more resources and logistics, not to mention it would create a supply deficiency where there isn't any now! This is the literal definition of a technological backslide!"

Tevos arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing across her lips. "Then that's what we'll tell them," she reasoned calmly. "We've all served in some military capacity, so I'll ask what's better, for the record: Effectively infinite ammo with less powerful shots; or functionally finite ammo with more powerful shots?"

"The former, obviously," Anderson answered, looking to the other Councilors.

"Obviously," Sparatus grunted, closing that window on his terminal.

"So I shouldn't bother to ask 'for or against?'" The Asari Councilor asked.

Valern folded his hands, resting chin on them. "I think not, Tevos."

"Good. Now, there's-" She paused a message flashed across her screen. _**INCOMING MESSAGE**_. Glancing up, she found the other Councilors had noticed as well, curiosity plain on their faces.

"How are we receiving this?" Sparatus spluttered, his fingers dancing over the keys. "This is a secure channel!"

Before they could speak further, their screens went dark. The darkness shifted, a dim light illuminating a figure from behind. Anderson felt his eyes go wide as he recognized the profile.

" _Hello, Councilors,"_ the voice was deep, with an underlying cybernetic growl. " _Saul Dewitt speaking. Yes, I know I'm supposed to be dead. It didn't take."_

"How is this possible?" Anderson breathed, leaning in so close his nose nearly touched the screen.

" _I'm guessing you'd like some proof as to my identity,"_ Saul continued, holding Invictus up to the camera before firing it off-screen. There was loud snap followed by a burning hiss as the blade of his lightsaber cut across the view, his T-shaped visor glaring in the light. " _I'll remind you that these weapons are DNA locked, I'm the only one that can use them. But, if that's still not enough…"_

His hand rose, grasping the front of his helmet and pulling it away with a sharp whistle of escaping air. Sitting to the left of an empty void was an eye, glowing an acidic jade green.

" _Hello,"_ he greeted, his voice dry, cracked and low. " _As you can see, I didn't survive unscathed. I'm diminished, yes, but not dead. And now, I'm going to tell you how…how I survived certain death, how I escaped my final fate…Gentlemen, Lady…I'm about to reveal to you…"_

The Councilors leaned in closely, trying not to miss the revelation to come.

"… _The secret of true…immortality…"_

They held their breath, tension tightening in their stomachs, waiting with clenched fingers…

…Before image changed, to that of a poor quality camera focused on a red-headed human with a microphone, loud music blaring from the speakers.

" _NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP, NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN, NEVER GONNA RUN AROUND AND, DESERT YOU!"_

Out of the corner of his eye, Anderson noticed that Tevos was smiling fondly.

…

…

…

…

 **A/N: GUESS WHO LOVES YOU?!**

 **It's me. I love you. You know who else I love? Petty Officer Second Class Beam and the unit at Wright Patterson Air Force Base! This chapter is dedicated to you!**

 _ **Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie, and hurt you!**_

 **Alright now, time for explanations. Most of this chapter covered the events of Mass Effect: Redemption, which I never read and still haven't, so I altered them to fit in with the story. Feron still got left behind but them's the breaks.**

 **Funnily enough, I was worried about this chapter being too dark and angsty, but it ended up not that heavy on either, really. Not as much as it could've been, anyway. It just wouldn't have fit the characters. Speaking of…**

 **Saul. As he said just above, he's diminished, not dead, but his condition means his typical style of fighting i.e. blow it up and also cut shit with a lightsaber, aren't as effective. He and Jade will have to develop new skills and technology to keep him from getting overwhelmed in his new profession. And as a consequence of his condition, he's definitely darker, angrier and sad, but he's still Saul. There also won't be much in the way of sexy stuff for a long time.**

 **You'll just have to get your fix elsewhere. Maybe in The Life With Monster Girls? It's available on my author page right now with a new chapter in the works! (masterfully executed plug)**

 **Also as a note, Saul's voice either sounds like Samuel Hayden from DOOM or Darth Vader, whichever one you prefer.**

 **This story, taking place between Mass Effect 1 and 2 is uncharted territory, so most of the arcs, characters and such, will be original. Most, not all. I'll be referencing all sorts of shit, but that means the chapters might take a little while longer to write and publish. I'm flying blind here, and I don't even have a pilot's license.**

 **But it'll be a fun journey all the same.**

 **Big thanks to Dairegh and NorthSouthGorem for all the help! Check them out, show them some love! It's Valentine's Day you little bastards,** _ **spread the love!**_

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: Got any ideas for the story could go? Leave a review and they might show up! Be warned, I don't take OC's unless you can convince me that they're not A: overpowered. B: stupid and C: stupidly overpowered.**

 **NS: Well darn. :V**

 **I am the Author, though, and I retain the right to ignore everything I don't like or change it at will.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	2. OMG Super Serious

The Reapers had come. They darkened the sky, their forms blotting out the sun as they descended from space to land amidst the graceful spires of Thessia, the awful, blaring horn ringing through her head as Tevos looked on in horror. Distant screams of terror and agony drifted up to her ears as she stood at on the balcony of the Temple, her knees buckling as horror gripped her heart.

 _If only_ , she thought distantly, _If only I had known…I would've helped…I would've done_ something… _but it's too late…_

"But it is not." A powerful, masculine voice echoed from above. Tevos looked to the sky, a gasp of wonder and awe leaving her lips as a figure, wreathed light, wearing armor of purple and gold, glowing with power like the Sun itself, floated down towards her, his long, deep purple cape fluttering heroically in the wind. "For I, who loves you, have come to save you."

"Saul…" She breathed, tears of joy and relief spilling down her cheeks, her heart swelling with affection. "You came…"

"Indeed," he replied stoically, landing next to her without a sound. "And after this war is won, so will you. But first!"

Saul threw a hand out, a beam of golden light lancing out of his palm to spear a Reaper, which exploded into a rainbow-colored nova. "None who threaten my love shall survive!" He called, planting his hands on his hips. "Especially not when I've brought… _THE TITANS!_ "

A fleet of ships, a thousand strong, came screaming out of FTL and immediately opened fire, cutting down Reaper after Reaper with ironic ease. But still, the Reaper continued to attack, even more of them swarming out of the dark of space to assault the Titans.

"Fools!" Saul tilted his head back and laughed. "Still you fumble and attack, even though you are outnumbered and outgunned! I will show you…the true meaning of _Reaper!_ Bring forth…the _ULTIMATE WEAPON!_ "

A bright light split the sky before fading to reveal a new moon in the space above Thessia, but it appeared to be made of metal with a dish-like indentation on the top half. Six beams of green light concentrated into one massive lance that wiped hundreds of Reapers away like dust, firing again and again until there were none left.

Tevos leaped into Saul's arms with a cry of joy and he spun her around with a laugh, setting her down with his hands on her waist. "You've done it!" She cheered, her heart singing with joy. "My love, you've saved us all!"

"Of course, my love!" He replied, discarding his helm to reveal his handsome beaming face, a regal crown on his brow. "But it was not I alone, who brought us victor this day! Together, as one, we have destroyed the Reapers! Not only that, we've secured peace throughout the Galaxy!"

Sparatus, Anderson and Valern stood before them, the entirety of the galactic population standing behind them. As one, they fell to their knees and bowed. "You have saved us!" They cried in thankfulness. "Please, lead us in this new age of peace!"

"We will!" Saul cried in reply, turning to her with a crown in his hands. "Will you join me, Tevos Belsari, in leading the Galaxy to prosperity as my Queen?"

Tears of joy leaked from her eyes as Tevos took the crown from his hands and placed it on her head. "Yes, I will!" Power flowed through her, encasing her in protective warmth as blue and gold armor formed around her, a long, sky-blue cape flowing from behind her.

"My Queen," Saul whispered as he pulled her close, his eyes glowing with love and affection as he leaned in to kiss her, the crowd before them screaming their exaltation for the Galaxy to hear. "My love for you is as vast and unending as the Universe itself. To prove this, I have brought all my previous lovers before you, so you may know that I forsake them for you."

Zaira Shepard, her blue hair disheveled and her eyes running with tears, staggered forward and dropped to her knees before Tevos. "Please, kind and benevolent Queen, please let me stay!" She begged, kneeling to press her forehead to the floor. "I know I cannot measure up to you, but I still wish to be with my King! I will do anything!"

Turning her benevolent gaze on the other women kneeling next to her, consisting of Benezia, Liara, a few humans she recognized as belonging to Shepard's squad along with several Quarians, many Asari, a dozen Krogan, Drell and Turian women along with a few Batarians. "Is this true of you all?" She asked kindly.

"Yes, My Queen!" They all cried as one.

"My King's heart is mine, and mine alone," she announced to their wails of despair. "But…I will allow you to warm our bed, as Royal Concubines!"

Their cheers of joy warmed her heart, but not as much as it did when Saul swept her into her arms. "And now…" He stepped into the largest bedroom the world had ever known, a massive bed covered in silk dressings dominating the room. "…For the greatest orgy the Galaxy has ever seen!"

Even as a hundred hands closed on her body, removing her armor to stroke, knead and rub her sensitive flesh, Tevos only had eyes for Saul as he stood naked before her. She exulted in the power and heat in his arms as they closed around her and screamed in absolute pleasure as his length penetrated her very core-

"Fuck!" Tevos shouted as she woke up, her blanket tangled around her waist, sweat dripping from her chin. "Goddess why?! I was _so close_!"

The Asari Councilor slumped back in her bed, sighing tiredly as the dream faded and removed her hand from her underwear. "Dammit, now I need a shower…and I'm still horny!" She sat up and tapped her chin. "Although…the purple and gold looked _really_ good…"

 _ **Lol JK**_

…

 _ **Elsewhere, Elsewhen…**_

Miranda looked up from her datapad as a knock rang out, turning to look at the door but finding no one present. Dismissing it, she turned back to her pad only to hear another knock. Movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to the pod, whose occupant was knocking on the lid.

"Hey," the corpse inside said casually. "You know you can't bring me back, right? I'm dead. You can't bring the dead back to life. That's just not how this works."

"Really now?" Miranda shot back, tapping in some new information on her pad. "And how would you know? You were just a soldier before you died, Commander or not. I wouldn't expect you to know what's possible, not with my smarts and unlimited resources at my disposal."

"Bitch please," the corpse of Shepard replied. "I was _Captain_ , Ms. Perfect."

"Captain, Commander, whatever," the woman muttered, leaning against a nearby table. "Besides, this is just a dream. You're just a manifestation of my doubt in myself…I thought I got rid of that."

"No, that'd be me," Saul said, stepping in through the door and leaning against the wall. "She's more a manifestation of your fear of failure. Honestly, though, I thought your self-doubt would look more like you, or your father…or your sister. I never really doubted you…okay, maybe a few times, but because you work for Cerberus, not because you're 'perfect.'"

Miranda frowned at him. "What we're the air-quotes for?"

The body of Shepard sat up in her tank. "Yeah, what for?"

"Perfection is a goal, not a possibility. Something to strive for, but never reach," he explained simply, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, you've said it many times, but you've never truly believed you were ever perfect, Miranda."

"Perfect people don't make mistakes," she replied with a sigh. "Can you leave now? I need to look over this data."

"Aw, don't feel bad," Shepard said kindly. "Mistakes are what make us human. And in some cases, are the entire reason for our existence."

"Yeah, it's not unusual to feel bad about yourself," Saul added, pushing away from the wall. "I know what'll make you feel better…"

Miranda flinched as the lights began to strobe and a bombastic orchestra started to blare. Spinning on her heel, she found Saul dancing and holding a microphone. "Oh please God no-"

" _It's not unusual, to be mad with anyone,"_ he sang, a backing chorus of women rising out of ground behind him. " _It's not unusual to be sad with anyone/ But if I've-"_

Miranda awoke to blaring of her alarm, sitting up in her bed and brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Oh god," she moaned, wearily tapping her alarm off. "I need to spend less time with Saul. even my _dreams_ are getting sassy."

…

 _ **Lol JK**_

 _ **April Fools, bitches. Also happy Easter. Ironic or meaningful that those two are converging today, eh?**_


	3. It's A Setup, Pt 1

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

Waking up to the sound of a heart monitor is one of the worst ways to do it, I swear. The only things that are even worse are nails on a chalkboard, shrill whistling, the screams of the damned and pop music.

But it's a sound I'm intimately familiar with, thanks to all the time I've spent lying in hospitals and Med-Bays after doing something either totally kick-ass or stupid as all hell, but my more recent version has been joined by the rasp of a respirator. I hate it. Lying on a medical table, even a specially-made one covered in a layer of Suspension gel, wearing nothing but underwear and a neck-brace/face-mask to keep me alive and breathing is a massive waste of my time. Especially when I could be out, killing shit, making a name for myself (as a Bounty Hunter) and drowning out my thoughts.

"Ah, Mr. Dewitt," a masculine voice speaks, drawing my attention to the man beside my bed. He's got messy grey hair, deep bags under his light brown eyes and is possibly the only person I know who still wears glasses. Doctor Liam Gregor, one of the foremost minds in medical technology, an avid gamer and one of my targets during my search for Kellen. "You're awake twenty minutes earlier than projected. Seems we need to change the dosage a bit."

" _ **PROBABLY."**_ We both jump as my voice erupts forth like a volcano learning to speak. " _ **OW. SHIT. HOLD ON A SEC."**_ Straining slightly, I reach up and adjusted the settings on the vocalizer, bringing it down to a normal voice. "Sorry about that," I breathe, my lungs burning slightly, "I was fiddling with it before I went to sleep last night."

Gregor rubs his ear with a grimace, muttering, "Yeah, I can tell. So, how's your pain on a scale of one to ten?" He asks, making a note on his datapad.

"Eight, like usual," I reply simply, laying back on the gel mattress. "I'm feeling some burning, though."

He hums, tapping my hand with a stylus. "While you were out, we used regenerative lasers to reduce the scar tissue around the joints of your fingers. We've also used synthetic muscle fibers to fill in some of the more egregious muscle tears," Gregor points out, lifting my hand by the wrist to show me the fresh pink skin around my knuckles and wrist. "Unfortunately, that's all we were able to do before you approached the Toxicity Threshold."

I hum in approval, flexing my fingers and rotating my wrists, enjoying having a full range of motion back. "I appreciate it, Gregor. Any estimates on how long it'll take for me to be at a hundred percent?"

"Given your situation, I'd say six to eight months," the Doctor replies with a shrug, before fixing me with an annoyed glare. "It'd be far less if you stopped _walking around_ and got back in the goddamn Suspension Tank!"

"Ha!" I let a bark of laughter escape. "Fuck that! I don't care if it'll help, I hate being caged! You remember what I did when I first woke up in that thing, right? I nearly-"

"-You nearly blew it up, yes I remember," he sighs, shaking his head. "Whatever. You're the boss and it's not like I'm a _doctor_ or anything…"

It was funny, how Gregor ended up working for Titan. After I'd broken into his mansion and made a fool of his security team _and_ hacked into his files, Miranda and I had closed in and dealt with Kellen. And in Kellen's files, it was found that he'd been blackmailing Gregor into sending his exoskeletal technology along by threatening the people he cared for: the crippled people who used his medical exoskeletons. Which included children.

With Kellen dead, the threat against them was gone and Gregor went straight to the Alliance to tell them what had gone down. With his help, they managed to nail most of the other conspirators, leaving Gregor free and clear, but with a debt to me that I hadn't known about. Apparently, he tried to contact me more than once to figure out some sort of repayment, but Tevos had snatched him up for Titan long before I realized anything.

Now, he works for us, upgrading and experimenting with his new technology. Though, he wasn't exactly a fan of what it was being used for, but he saw the understood how useful it was in the upcoming fight with the Reapers.

"Where's your suit?" Gregor asked after a minute of silence. "You haven't gone and broken it, have you?"

"No, and it's not like it couldn't be repaired in an hour if it was," I deny, reaching over to hit a button on my bed controls, releasing a thin stream of water into my mouth. The coolness of the liquid almost makes up for the icy shards of pain it causes in my throat, but I refuse to subsist on IVs alone. "Jade took it to the Armor Labs. We thought of a few upgrades that would be useful, given my…diminished capability."

"Oh?" He says interestedly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Like what?"

"Increasing the strength of the exoskeleton, upgrading the biotic capacitors and batteries, adding miniaturized jetpacks or thrusters on the shoulders," I start, tapping my fingers on the bed. "She also said something about 'ionized pathways' but I stopped paying attention. Also, I figured since I'm going to be hunting criminals and at least half of them will be wanted alive, I need some way to safely neutralize them. I'm thinking ice."

"You mean like Cryo Rounds and similar tech?" Gregor clarifies.

"Yeah, and a spray or missile addition to my Wrist Launchers, because that would kick ass," I continue. "You got any good ideas, doc?"

He shrugs. "Yeah, maybe," he mumbles, tapping out a message on his datapad. "While she's working on that, I figured she should add a bit more padding, maybe a second layer of gel to the inside of your armor. Suspension Gel, to take some of the pressure off of your joints."

"Mm," I hum, resisting the urge to cough. "That's smart. It's almost like you're a doctor or something."

"Smartass," Gregor mumbles, scratching at his stubbled chin. "Anyway, your vital signs are healthy as they can be right now, though my recommendation is still going back in the Tank."

"No."

"Other than that, you're fine to walk around or whatever it is you do in your downtime," he replies without missing a beat.

"I could really go for some food and then a nap," I say, shifting tiredly on the bed. "Can you send for someone to get me some soup?"

"Sure, let me adjust the dosage here," the Doctor replies, fiddling with the control panel for a few seconds. "There you are, that should put you out for seven hours this time."

"Thanks, doc," I reply, already feeling a sore weariness settling in my bones. This is why I hate being out of my armor. Without anything to do, I'm just… _tired_. And hurt. Sometimes, the Suspension Tank and a months-long coma sound _really_ good…but I can't stop now, not before I've even started.

I've got shit to do.

…

I wake up a while later to the sound of armored boots on the floor, along with the warm static tingle of Jade's presence returning to my skull. "Hey Jade," I murmur tiredly, resisting the urge to yawn. "Did you have fun?"

" _Yup,"_ she replies cheerfully, though I can sense just an iota of concern as the monitor showing my condition flickers. " _I added all the upgrades I wanted, even a few I hadn't thought of, and I even had a nice conversation with Maie about robotics. I also got those parts you ordered. Why are you building this one by hand?"_

"To be pretentious, mostly," I answer with half a shrug. "And so this one is a custom upgraded version, which appeals to the child in me. I'm just about bored stiff, so let's get out of here and on the road. I've got an appointment to keep."

" _Yes, we wouldn't want you be late to see the Queen,"_ Jade mutters sarcastically, the bed whining slightly as the end tips forward and the head moves up into a standing position, my armor open at the foot of the bed. " _Disconnecting breathing apparatus."_

"You know, if you'd put the armor on me while I was on the table, we could've done the whole Darth Vader thing," I comment, inhaling sharply as the cool, controlled air vanishes. "And I could do the whole 'fall to my knees and scream 'Noooo!'' bit as well."

" _I don't think that'd be very nice to your knees,"_ she replies dryly, the open back of my armor coming into view. " _Or your throat."_

As the bed comes to a halt fully upright, I slowly step into my armor, carefully pulling myself inside. The gel padding is cool against my skin, and the inside is dark as the armor closes around me with a pneumatic hiss. Letters light up in front of my face, blurring passed my eyes as the various systems boot-up, going through checks and all that crap before activating. The cool sensation fades as the temperature is regulated and I take a deep breath, my breathing easier with the respirator now on.

My HUD activates and it all falls into place, the familiar sensation of wearing my armor coming back: it's almost like feeling naked, but with a reassuring weight to my limbs, reminding me that I am, in fact, wearing armor and not in the middle of that dream where I show up to the climatic battle but I'm not wearing anything and everyone laughs…

Moving on. The first thing I notice is how easy it is to move, how effortless the motions feel, raising my arms and stretching, bending over to the touch the floor; my bones ache, sure, but not nearly as much as they did while I was searching for Zaira. Clenching my fist, I bring it up to my face and look below the metal plates. Before, there was a black, scaled skin-tight layer much like the suits other people wear under their armor to keep it vacuum-sealed, but it's been replaced by metal. It's just as flexible as before, and I can make out some of the fine patterns in the circuitry.

The second thing I notice is the color. The black used to come to a tip just below my knuckles, but it had been moved up and given a trim of gold. On the other end, where black met blue, the colors had merged to form a dark purple. "Purple and gold?" I said aloud, "Whose idea was that?"

"Mine," a feminine voice answers from the doorway, one I recognize instantly. Tevos approaches with a soft step, taking my armored hand in hers. "Purple, gold and blue, for the Asari at least, are the colors of royalty. Most of our legends are about Warrior-Queens, the ones who saw what needed to be done, who faced the threat straight on with an army behind them, succeeding and ascending to the position of leader. That was, of course, before we moved more towards democracy and such, but I figured with the Matriarch's Council backing us the most at this point, a little representation would be nice."

"Hmm," I hum, admiring the way the light played off the colors. "It looks nice, too. Striking."

"That too," she adds, tapping her fingers on my arm. "You remind me of those legends, you know. Bringing together an army…"

"You did most of that," I point out, bringing up my omni-tool and typing in a command. A projection flickers to life in front of me, showing me a reflection of myself. Basically, a mirror for lazy people like me. My armor is definitely bulkier, the new additions adding maybe two inches to my height. The gold trim and the dark purple definitely add a striking element to the look, but the most effective is the helm.

Gone is the T-shaped visor. In its place are a pair of blue stripes, tilted downward in an angry glare, set over a black surface with an off-white strip running along the chin and up to the ears.

It looks pissed off and intimidating. Good.

I also recognize the irony in changing my look when I'm becoming a Bounty Hunter from the Mandalorian-inspired previous version…who were Bounty Hunters.

"What do you think?" I ask Tevos, turning to look at her.

"I like it," she says with a shrug. "But then again, I _am_ biased."

" _I think it looks scary,"_ Jade says bluntly, " _But that's what you were going for._ "

"Yup."

Tevos tugs on my arm, leading me from the room. "There's something I want to show you," she tells me, the projection fading from sight. "Jade told me you were going to buy a ship to get around on."

I shrug in reply. "Well yeah. I gave my old ship to Ilo a long time ago, and the _Normandy_ …I don't have a ship, is what I'm saying." We step onto a lift, and I'm pleased to note it only take ten seconds from entering to exiting. Fucking finally.

"I know, that's why I wanted to show you… _this_ …" She sweeps her arm open in a grand gesture as we enter the hangar, encompassing a ship. And not just any ship, a ship I'd never seen before.

It's shaped like an oval and colored in matte blacks and greys, tapering to a blunt point at the back where the thrusters lie, the perimeter dotted with small blue circles. The middle of the ship is colored a dark blue with silver tracings along the body, with a cockpit in the center of two silver gaps. That whole part kind of looks like a futuristic sarcophagus. From the middle upwards, the sides were a lighter color and resembled curved blades.

And on the left side, near the back, is the name: _01-Scarab_. "Scarab?" I ask, turning to Tevos.

"Yeah, I thought the overall shape looked kinda like a beetle," she replies with shrug. "This is the first of its kind-and technically a prototype-of our fighter craft. This one's a bit larger than the others will be, given that you'll be staying on it for days at a time. It has a scout vehicle deployment bay, a miniaturized Tantalus Drive Core (though it's not capable of stealth) along with a pair of front-mounted autocannons with a hundred and twenty degree cover and an under-mounted Calliope Torpedo launcher."

"So it's small, but packs a punch," I summarize with a nod. There's a dick joke in there I'm not going to make. "Bitchin'. Does it use a manual or a haptic control scheme?"

"Manual," Tevos answers easily. "It can be changed at any time, but I remember you telling me you preferred manual. And, it has a hidden surprise." She taps a command into her omni-tool and the blade-like sections in the front slide back to reveal a pair of large, multi-barrel guns. "Scatter guns. Perfect for taking down shields and perforating hulls."

I tilted my head questioningly. "You put a pair of shotguns…on a ship?" Fuck I miss Zaira. "That's kick-ass."

"It was inspired," she replies with a shrug and a grin, though it fades a second later. "So, are you staying much longer…?"

"Nope." I say bluntly, looking around the hangar. "Where are my guns? And my lightsaber, can't forget that."

"I figured you'd say that," Tevos sighs. "They're waiting for you on the ship. And I sent you a data packet containing those Biotic Techniques you were looking for…are you sure I can't convince you to stay for a few more days? Or a week?"

I glance at her, shaking my head slowly. "No, I've got an appointment to keep. Speaking of, how have _you_ been staying here this long? Don't you have a job as I don't know, the Asari Councilor?"

She shrugs. "Meh. My replacement is coming along nicely, she's just about ready to step into the position full-time. This is one of the final tests, seeing if she can stay in character for months at a time." Tevos frowns. "Though, if she tries to hit you up for a booty-call, you tell her that's not part of the position."

"Alright, not like I can have sex anyway," I mutter, rolling my shoulders and feeling something glance off the side of my head. "…The hell are these?"

Mounted on the back of my shoulders are a pair of what look like antenna; short, stubby black antenna. " _Oh, those are the things I talked about!"_ Jade replies enthusiastically. " _Remember how I wanted to watch your back, more so than just through cameras? Well, these are the answer. I call them…Attacking Rotating Manipulators. Or ARMs, for short."_

"…You really wanted the acronym to spell 'arms,' didn't you?" I say aloud, watching with narrowed eyes as the 'antenna' unfold and take the form of what look like the pincers a mechanical crab would have, all rectangular and black. "What do they do?"

" _They got a full range of coverage, front to back, capable of firing miniaturized version of your rockets, though at this size they're more like bullets,"_ my AI Companion explains proudly. " _And, in a pinch, they can repurposed as extra thrusters."_

"Nice," I say, poking one of the ARMs tentatively. "These'll definitely come in _handy_."

Tevos rolls her eyes. "Alright, you can leave now," she mutters, waving a hand at the hangar doors, pausing a second later to reach out and lay a hand on my shoulder. "If you ever need help, or just someone to talk to…you know where I am. And I know what you're going through."

I stop at the foot of the ramp leading up into the _Scarab_ , turning to face her. With a quiet sigh, I open my helm at the mouth and grasp her cheeks, pulling her in for short, chaste kiss. I barely feel her warmth through my scarred lips, but the kiss is not for me. "I know, Tevos," I say softly, brushing a thumb under her eye. "Thank you. I'll check in with you in a bit, okay?"

"Alright," she murmurs, grasping my hand. "Be safe out there."

I give her a nod and ascend into my ship, finding a small bed tucked in a corner with a workbench next to it, and a small kitchen area adjacent to that. Ahead lies the cockpit, with a comfortable-looking chair and simple controls. A lever controls the thrust, while a joystick controls the pitch, yaw and rotation, and a row of buttons and switches for everything else.

Sitting down, I go through the pre-flight checklist and upon finding everything in order, I start the engines and take the controls. With a few deft movements, I'm up in the air and heading for the bay doors. " _Please clear the Hangar,"_ A polite, robotic female voice asks, even though I'm the only one inside. " _Opening Hangar doors in three…two…one."_

The doors hiss open and my ship begins to vibrate as the bright, scintillating blue of FTL travel is revealed. With a gentle push, I guide my ship out of the hangar, turning to watch as the massive ship that is Orbit speeds ahead. Reaching up, I engage the retro-thrusters and put my hand on the thrust. "Dropping into real-space in three." At the three-second mark, I give the lever a sharp tug, the ship rocking slightly as the stars and nebulae come into view. Close by is a Mass Relay, which I approach while typing in my coordinates. The Drive Core begins to hum as a tendril of blue energy reaches out and wraps around the _Scarab_ , before hurling us into FTL. Sitting back in my chair, I rest my arms on the rests. "So, Jade, I have some… _cool_ ideas."

…

Aria huffed inaudibly, subtly checking her chrono before taking another swig of her drink. "C'mon, where are you," she muttered impatiently.

A quiet rustle was her only warning as a ripple mantled over her couch, sitting down with a quiet thump as the invisibility faded. Across from her sat a large, intimidating figure, with glaring blue eyes on black void, his size and the color of his armor demanding both attention and apprehension. "Hey," Saul greeted her casually, setting one of his feet on her table.

Waving off her guards, the Pirate Queen of Omega smiled and crossed her legs, the picture of casual relaxation. "Long time no see, Saul," she replied genuinely. "I like the new look. Are you sure I can't hire you as a bouncer?"

His only reply was a level stare.

"Fine," she sighed, taking a drink and snapping her fingers. A batarian approached warily, handing a datapad off to his boss. "I'm the magnanimous sort, so I've got your first target all lined up for you. A hacker apparently dug too deep into something she shouldn't have, and now a few _very_ wealthy families want her head. Interested?"

"I'm not hunting innocent people," Saul said slowly. "I don't care how much money is on the table."

Aria dismissed his protest with a flick of her wrist. "That's not what I was going for. Actually, I want you to _help_ her." She grinned at the curious tilt of his head. "I remembered what you said, believe it or not. And, this girl has experience operating in the underworld along with some important information. I figured she could be your little hacker, and taking out the competition for her head should get you a nice head-start on building your reputation."

"Hm," the human hummed thoughtfully, holding out a hand. "What's her name?"

The Queen handed him the datapad, which bore a picture of a young woman with pale white hair, deathly pale skin that was tinted blue, along with glowing blue eyes. "She's called 'Omen'"

…

…

…

 **EDIT: Originally, I was going to call the hacker 'Zero,' but I just realized how confusing that could be, so her name is now 'Omen.'**

…

 _ **(Welcome to the Titan Information Archives. Remember, defacing pages is an offense punishable by Air-Lock.)**_

 _ **Suspension Tanks - Suspension Tanks are a relatively new invention, created by Liam Gregor for those suffering from debilitating injuries, where putting pressure on the body will negatively impact recovery. The patient is put into a clear tank filled with a mixture of Suspension and Medi-Gel until they are recovered enough for typical treatment. Those with claustrophobia should ask for sedation, lest they suffer a panic attack and cause themselves even more damage.**_

 _ **And yes, they were inspired by the Bacta Tanks from Star Wars.**_

 _ **-Head Archivist**_

 **So hey, guess who's finally updating his story? This guy. I've had so many ideas running around in my head, I'm having a hard time keeping track of everything, but the new album by Breaking Benjamin has certainly helped. It's called Ember, it kicks ass, give it a listen.**

 **Anyway, I'll be trying to keep chapters to 4-5k words for efficiency and expediency, but if experience has taught me anything, it's that Writer's Block is a bitch.**

 **The Titan Information Archives will be a recurring thing, which should hopefully explain some of the new tech coming around, so if you have questions…Also, one other thing, but I'll keep that a surprise until the next chapter.**

 **Speaking of, next chapter is step two in what I'm calling 'The Setup Arc'. Imma get to work on it pretty much immediately, unless another idea stri-**

 **-I just thought of something! A Fable story, with Saul as the Hero, with magic and heroics and medieval bangin'! Also, rants about the stupid goddamn morality.**

 **That reminds me of a reddit I saw yesterday, full of medieval porn names… -Dairegh**

 **Oh no! It happened! I am still working on the next chapter of Console, though.**

… **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review and all that good stuff! Big thanks to NorthSouthGorem, Dairegh, Kurogane7 and the posse on Xbox!**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: Speaking of reviews: Holy shit the first chapter got a lot reviews. Like, a** _ **lot**_ **. I did not expect that. Is…is this what it's like to have a fanbase? 'Cause I like it. I like it a lot. And it inspires me to write more, to write better because I've got people to impress!**

 **Love you all in slightly creepy ways!**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	4. It's A Setup, It's A Setup, Pt 2

They were coming to kill her. They'd already killed her brother, and now they were coming to finish the job.

And there was nothing she could do about it.

They didn't know what they'd stumbled upon, not until they'd taken a closer look. And when they realized what they'd found, they tried to do the right thing.

They went to the authorities, tried to expose it all. Hackers they may have been, criminals to be sure; but what they'd found was so deep, so _staggering_ in its depravity, that it'd awoken their long-dormant need to do their civic duty.

That was the first thing that'd gone wrong. They should've known it would paint a target on their backs. But they did it anyway.

It wasn't until her brother, her sweet Andrew, was bleeding out over her boots, and seeing the policeman they'd talked to holding the smoking gun had she realized what a mistake they'd made.

So she ran. But not far, and not for long, not when the ramifications hit her. The ones targeting her _owned_ the police, had enough money to buy a legion of mercenaries and bounty hunters and arm them for war. A small-time hacker like her? She had no chance.

That's how she ended up in the den, a little hole in the wall place for people who wanted to escape the trials of life and experience bliss for a few hours. She'd paid for a cocktail of potent drugs, found a comfortable bag chair to slump in, and hoped that the hunters would catch up with her before she got sober.

The only consolation was that they wanted her dead, and the information buried. They wouldn't torture her, make her suffer or anything. They'd just kill her.

Through the haze in her mind, she heard the door opening, heard the echo of footfalls on the floor, and saw the trio of hunters who'd come to kill her.

A human, swarthy and kind of handsome in a roguish way with a smirk on his lips and a pistol in his hand stepped into her view, flanked on his right by a bare-faced turian holding a rifle, and an asari cradling a shotgun to his left.

It was ironic, she mused, that an alien she'd tried so hard to be like would be the one to kill her.

"Well, would you look at this," the human said, kneeling to peer into her glazed eyes. "No running, no chase, no last-second defiance, just calm acceptance. Seems almost a shame that a job this boring would be our last."

"Says you," the turian scoffed, "I've been waiting to retire for five years. The last thing I need is some action-filled chase."

"Ah come on, don't be so grumpy," the asari teased. "At least you two can relax until you die. For me, the money will get me a nice fifty-year vacation on some paradise planet. I can already hear the waves on the white beaches and feel the sand between my toes and the sun heating my naked body."

"Ooh, sounds lovely," the human grinned, giving the asari a wink. "Mind if I join you?"

"Only if you're naked too," she shot back.

"Can you two stop flirting for one minute?" the turian grumped, "Honestly, it's like you two are teenagers."

"Oh don't be that way, you're going to be naked right there with us." The human laughed, nudging the turian with his elbow.

They shared a chuckle, and she wondered if they were ever going to stop bantering and shoot her already.

"But first, let's finish the job," the human leveled his pistol at her head, the grin still on his face. "Sorry about this, girl, but it's just business. And hey, what better way to go than blissed out of your mind?"

There was a loud, crackling hiss as a glowing blue blade erupted from the center of his chest, the pistol dropping from his nerveless fingers as the trio stared in horror. "No!" The asari cried as a shadow stepped out from behind him, lunging forward to wrap an arm around her throat, pull her around and fire her shotgun into the turian in one smooth motion. Even as the turian hit the ground, the shadow reached up and snapped her neck cleanly, carelessly dropping the body to the floor.

" **Sorry to cut it so close,"** the shadow said conversationally, the deep, abyssal voice reverberating inside her head. He reached out and pulled the lightsaber down and out, ignoring the thump of the corpse as it hit the ground, deactivating his sword and storing it away as he came to kneel by her head. " **There were others coming for you, and I didn't want any interruptions while we had our chat."**

" _Whudd chaadd?"_ She slurred through a mouth that felt like it'd been replaced with dry marshmallow.

He uncapped a water bottle and brought it to her mouth, feeding her a gentle stream of cool liquid. " **Our chat about your intentions with this information you found,"** he replied, pulling the bottle away. " **Now, I don't know what it is, but I know it's important to a lot of people. The price on your head could buy a space yacht, and laying out that kind of cash for a simple hacker implies that it could damage a lot of reputations. And yet, you're here, blissed out of your mind in a drug den."**

"Tried to," she muttered, blinking slowly, "We tried to show it to…to the authorities. They killed my brother. Didn't see…didn't see any point in trying. After that. Couldn't trust anyone."

The shadow hummed. " **That's a good reason,"** he admitted with a nod, " **But tell me, what if there was someone you could trust? Someone who could protect you, but also use that information to bring justice to the people who killed your brother?"**

She scoffed lowly. "Like who…you? You're just here…to kill me."

" **If I was here to get the price on your head, I would've killed you already,"** he replied reasonably. " **I would've waited until you fell asleep or messed with that drug jamboree so you died unaware. Obviously, I didn't. And I have no intention of killing an innocent woman caught up in something she wants no part of. And you haven't answered my question."**

She felt her mind clear slightly as she thought, the dull, lifeless eyes of her brother swimming in front of her vision. "If there was a person like that," she said slowly, her eyes rising to meet the glowing blue slits on his visor, "Then I'd say no. I don't want justice." Her visage twisted as she scowled, her eyes practically burning with rage. "I want _vengeance._ I want them to _suffer_ for what they did to us."

" **I can do that,"** he said simply. She could feel the smirk in his words as he spoke. " **One could say I specialize in killing."**

She slumped back into her chair. "Anyone would say that," she mumbled, sighing deeply. "I don't even know who you are."

" **The name's Saul. Saul Dewitt,"** he greeted, nodding at her.

Something began to burn in her chest, the haze fading even further. "Wait," she gasped breathlessly. "Saul Dewitt? _That_ Saul Dewitt? From the _Normandy?_ The Reapers?"

" **Yep,"** he said casually.

"Wait," she paused, narrowing her gaze on him. "Saul Dewitt's dead. Everybody knows that."

" _ **My**_ **body doesn't,"** he replied, a hint of bitterness in his electronically deepened voice. " **I take it you watched The Dewitt Files?"** At her nod, he continued, drawing a weapon from his thigh. " **Then you should know the significance of this."**

She peered at the gun held in front of her, squinting in the low light until she could make out the fancy carved letters engraved along the barrel. _Invictus._ Her eyes widened, flicking up to look at his visor. "You really are him," she breathed, finally identifying the feeling in her chest. _Hope_. "But…how?"

" **Turns out, I'm a lot harder to kill than even I assumed,"** he said, holstering the weapon. " **You know who I am, what I'm capable of. Still think you can't trust me?"**

She huffed a quiet chuckle. "Well, I'm fairly attractive, so I can trust that much," she murmured, looking up at him interestedly. "I don't know. I've only seen those videos, I don't actually know _who_ you are for real. But…I think you're my best chance."

Saul stood up, towering over her slumped form, blue slits glaring down at her with the light shining from behind his head. Slowly, he held a hand out. " **Then…come with me if you want to live. And get revenge."**

"I do," she whispered, taking his hand. "By the way, my name…I'm called Omen."

…

"I know," I reply, hauling her up to her feet, throwing her arm over my shoulder as she stumbled on marshmallow knees. "I read the bounty on you. Speaking of, let's get you out of here before any others show up."

As we slowly step away, I hear a rustle from behind and one of my ARMs pops up, spin around and loose a shot. Turning back, I saw the turian I'd hit with the shotgun slump to the floor, a pistol slipping from his dead fingers. Nice reflexes, Jade. The door hisses open as we approach, the bodies of a few other bounty hunters scattered around the street.

Heading for an empty aircar, Omen stumbles and pulls herself out of my grasp, falling to her knees to puke her guts out. "Haven't seen many dead bodies, eh?" I ask, kneeling next to her with a hand on her back.

"Seen plenty," she gasps, spitting to the side. "I think…I think the mix I took isn't agreeing with me…"

"Taking a bunch of different drugs at once tends to do that," I say without righteousness or judgement. Everyone has their own ways of dealing with life and the shit we take and I'm no different, except for the fact that my ways involved sex and alcohol. Not that I hadn't dabbled a little when I had the money, but I don't like the way most drugs tend to cloud my mind. I also realize the hypocrisy in that while also saying I drink; but I don't drink to get drunk, I drink to get slightly buzzed.

And no, the episode with LSD doesn't count, I just wanted some gummy bears.

"I think I need a doctor…" Omen mutters, dry heaving.

"You'd trust a doctor on Omega?" I ask incredulously. "With a price on your head?"

She wipes her mouth, shakily standing up with my help. "Good point," she murmurs, leaning heavily on me.

"Don't worry about it, I'll get you somewhere safe then I'll go to a clinic and get you some meds," I reassure, handing her my water bottle. "You can keep that, by the way."

"Thanks," she says lowly, rinsing and spitting. "I'm gonna feel like shit in the morning." Helping her into the passenger seat of the sky-car, the hacker slumps against the cushion with a sigh, her head lolling back as her eyelids flutter.

Sliding into the driver's, I take us up and away from the den, joining a line of traffic headed for the center of Omega. " _Saul,"_ Jade whispers, a screen appearing in a lower corner of my HUD. " _We're being followed. Looks like someone was being patient."_

The screen shows a black aircar slowly following us and to be fair, it's not that conspicuous. On Omega, if an aircar's not black, it's red. "Alright, no need to let them know we're on to them," I mutter, looking over to check on Omen. She's passed out. Great. I hope it's just unconsciousness and not an OD. Reaching over, I press my fingers against her neck. "Jade, how's she doing?"

" _She's asleep,"_ my AI companion assures, " _Though it'd be a good idea to purge her system, get her healing from all the damage she's done to herself."_

"Will do," I sigh, taking the sky-car down and out of the lane, into another below. A few seconds later, the other car follows us, keeping two vehicles in between us at all times. "Here's what we'll do: take control of the car and fly us into an alley. I'll hop out and take care of our tail."

" _Gotcha,"_ Jade whispers, the console flickering green as she imposes her will on it. Smoothly, she guides the sky-car through traffic and into an alleyway just wide enough to fit it, cracking open the door after we enter and allowing me to jump out. Latching onto a pipe, I plant my feet against the metal wall and wait.

Sure enough, ten seconds later the following car enters the alley. Pushing off, I land on the back, igniting my lightsaber and driving the blade into one of the engines. The vehicle rocks, belching smoke as I draw a burning line to the other propulsor, leaping off as the car plummets to the ground far below.

I hear the crash a few seconds later. I don't know who was in that car of if they survived the drop, and I don't really care. Flying up to our sky-car, I slip inside and take a seat. Omen's still passed out, not that I expected any different, and our drive continues. " _Saul,"_ Jade begins, a smirk in her voice, " _There's a tracker on this sky-car. I've disabled it, but I've got an idea for any else who tries to track us. I'm thinking Blood Pack territory."_

"Ooh, I like it when play you dirty, Jade," I grin, fabricating a grenade and sticking it to the underside of my chair. "And when they come lookin', they'll get a little surprise."

" _Also, I've finished simulations of our first-gen Cryo Sprayers. We don't have enough omni-gel stored away to begin modifying your launchers right now, so when we get to our new base of operations, you'll need to fire up the fabricator."_ She explains, setting us down gently outside of an abandoned, broken-down warehouse. " _Speaking of…"_

Stepping out and around the car, I lean in to slip my arms under her legs and her shoulders, hauling her out of the vehicle, her head lightly bouncing against my armored shoulder. "M'cold," she mutters sleepily, looping an arm around my neck. "M' too big…to carry…Drew…"

Balancing her in one arm, I reach out to depress a certain section of the rusty door which slides open, much more quietly and smoothly than its appearance would suggest. Stepping inside, the door closes behind us, the darkness closing around the pair of us. After a about a minute of standing there, I clear my throat. "Jade? Are you gonna open the door or what?"

" _Are you sure you don't want to stand in the darkness a little longer?"_ she teases, the second door cracking open. The floors and the walls are a smooth grey, stretching out to cover about a square acre of space. Most of it is taken up by a few blocks of prefab housing, the same buildings you'd find in human colonies all across the galaxy. There's four apartments with a bedroom, a bathroom, living area and a kitchen, just in case this team I'm building gets a couple more people. Outside of the buildings is my workshop, or where I'm going to put it all once I unpack, with plenty of room for testing and modifying weapons and armor or my ship.

The rest is filled with boxes containing all my crap, plus food and omni-gel. "Welcome home, I guess," I mutter aloud, not sure if I'm saying that to myself, Jade, or the unconscious girl in my arms. Speaking of, I enter the closest apartment and set her down on the bed, tucking the blanket in around her before I step out and exit the building. "Keep an eye on her, please Jade?"

" _Of course,"_ she replies, going silent as I assemble a workbench and unpack a large fabricator. I remember hearing that the Intelligences on Orbit were working on something better, so I'll probably be upgrading in the near future. It'll do for now. " _It'll only take an hour or so to make the modifications, so I'd recommend you stay out of trouble for the time being."_

"Hey I don't go looking for trouble, except for all the times I did and will do so again in the future," I shot back, disengaging the gauntlets from my armor and setting them inside the fabricator. "In any case, I'm just going to a clinic…and also a parts shop, I want to see if they've got anything I'll need for my robot."

" _Alright."_

Taking the gauntlets from a spare hardsuit, I lock them in place as I head out of the door, stopping at a transit terminal to call a sky-car. The ride to the clinic isn't long, maybe ten minutes. The building itself isn't too bad, a little weathered around the edges but otherwise whole. The turian behind the counter sighs as I walk inside. "No, I don't sell red sand or anything like that; this is _medical_ clinic for serious issues," he says, not looking up from his terminal.

Nice to know. "I'm not looking for drugs," I start, stepping up to the counter. "The opposite, actually. I need something to purge a drug cocktail from a person's system. A human woman, to be precise."

"That I can do," the turian, turning to the shelves behind him, rifling through the racks of vials and bottles. "What height and weight?"

" _Five foot eleven, one-hundred ninety-eight pounds,"_ Jade whispers, which I repeat to the doctor-wait, do you have to be a doctor to run a clinic? All the clinics I know of are run by doctors, but that might not be true on Omega. I should probably check that on the extranet or something.

"Here, this'll do the trick," he says, pausing as he turns back to look at me for the first time. Despite my intimidating look, he barely skips a beat before continuing. "It's an injection and I'll just assume you don't know how to use one of these, so all you need to do is press the opening against her shoulder and depress the button. After that, it's all up to her body to recover."

"Thanks, doc," I reply, taking the device and storing it away in a pouch. "How much?"

"Five thousand," he answers simply. "If you have any more medical needs, I'm always open. And I'm a nurse, not a doctor."

"All the same," I shrug, paying the man and exiting the establishment. In the distance, I can hear the pounding beats of that shitty music all the clubs play as I pass through a bazaar, occasionally glancing at the items on sale and the people selling them. A turian here, a batarian there, an elcor with cigar in its mouth flaps and isn't that just fuckin' hilarious, but nothing grabs my interest as I mosey towards Afterlife. I mean, I don't _want_ to hang out in a noisy club, watching people drink things I can't drink, seeing writhing bodies I can't touch, but Aria wouldn't mind me sitting with her. Might even build my rep a bit.

Instead, I turn my feet towards a small hole-in-the-wall shop, a small sign proclaiming 'Kenn's Salvage.' Inside, I find a quarian, a guy by the look of him, with his back to the counter as he works on something at his bench, sparks flying as he welds what I assume is salvage. You know, given the sign. I wait a few minutes, leaning against the counter as he continues to work, but after a bit longer I clear my throat, which does nothing since he's welding isn't exactly quiet.

There's no chime, so I rap my knuckles sharply and call, "Ding-ding!" He jumps pretty high, spinning around to face me with a darkened visor. A short tap on his omni-tool removes the tint, letting me see the shining grey eyes behind.

"Oh, uh, please excuse me!" He stammers, nervously twiddling his fingers. "I uh, I didn't…hear you…"

"I can tell," I reply, unable to hide my amusement. "So, I had a couple of questions, if you have the time."

"Of course, of course!" He says quickly. "Um, what about?"

"I'm building a custom combat mech, which'll use long, medium and short range firearms, as well as knives, swords, axes and hammers and heavy weapons. The last thing I need for this mech are the points of articulation; shoulders, arms, fingers, hips, knees and ankles, and I've narrowed the model down to two: the TXK-2300 Alloy Joints and the 6Hb Articulates," I explain, noting that Kenn follows along with zero problems. "The TXK's are cheap and easy to replace, but breakdown fairly quickly, while the 6Hb are more expensive to buy and replace, and should last longer but tend to overheat and become brittle."

Kenn taps the light on his visor thoughtfully. "Also, both hold strict Fabrication Rights. You'd have to buy FRM licenses every time you'd need a replacement; that's why most buy mechs in bulk."

"Good point," I nod agreeably. I mean, it's not like Jade couldn't crack that stupid crap in a few seconds, but it's a good point. "So, custom joints with personal fabrication designs are the way to go, then? Maybe a meshing of the two designs for something better?"

"Mm-hm," the quarian shakes his head, "TXK uses a magnesium-steel alloy while 6Hb uses an iron-ceramic composite. Maybe…maybe the joints could be titanium coated in electrum, then suspended in the joints by an electromagnetic field? That would improve the flexibility and reactions times of the mech…"

"But it would also literally fall apart when hit with Disruptions Rounds, Overload or any kind of EMP," I cut, tapping my fingers against the counter. "And making the outer armor of the mech into mobile Faraday Cage would not only be prohibitively expensive, the weight would also make it completely useless for stealth."

"Maybe if…what if the joints were suspended in an electrostatic gel/omni-gel solution?" Kenn offered, pulling up his omni-tool to do the math. "Yes, perhaps…the gel itself would act as an insulator, as long as it's contained in a carbide-rubber nano-lattice casing-"

"-Like the ones used in prefab hydroponic gardens," I finish, nodding excitedly, "The omni-gel in the solution could be converted into artificial muscle fibers for more punching power in close combat, or into internal armor plating in an explosion! And the gel in the joints would also lighten the overall weight of the mech's frame and disperse the impact of footfalls through gel, so I could splurge a bit on the armaments or armor!"

"Or the gel could be repurposed to multiply the charge sent through, making the battery last even longer!" The quarian continues, nearly bouncing in place. "Oh! The joints could contain miniaturized friction dynamos inside the casing, so the mech could generate its own power simply by moving!"

"And if you add a secondary battery for the energy overflow, the mech would powered practically forever!" I add, rubbing my hands together gleefully. "And all the excess power after that could be diverted to an Element Zero core, lightening the weight even further-or an omni-tool with all the combat applications!"

"Exactly!" Kenn cheers, clapping his hands. Silence falls as we look at each other, nodding proudly in recognition of the other's nerd cred and capabilities.

"…So, you wanna draw up the fabrication designs?" I say after a minute of patting ourselves on the back.

The quarian perks up before slumping. "Ah, I…can't," he sighs, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, the other waving at the small, messy shop. "I can only use the flash-fabricator on my omni-tool, I don't have the room for anything large enough…or the money."

I tilt my head at him. "Why not?"

He jacks a thumb at the wall. "An elcor merchant, Harrot, runs this market and owns this building. The rent's through the roof, and I've had to raise my prices just to keep myself fed, let alone afford a decent fabricator."

"Hmm," I hum thoughtfully, rubbing my chin. "Let me ask you something: this thing we did, just now…that was fun, right?" He nods. "What if you could do that everyday? Push the limits of technology and your creativity, your ability?"

Kenn sighs, a hint of longing in his breath. "That does sound nice," he murmurs, scratching his cheek. "Why…are you asking?"

I lean forward on my elbows, my visor inches away from his. I can see my eye lights reflecting off of his mask.

"You wanna job?"

…

…

…

…

 **A/N: Expediency? Ha! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next part of the setup and the gathering of Saul's Bounty Hunting Team. Only one more to go.**

 **And, introducing the new 'tech explanation,' which will appear every other chapter. The other chapters will have an excerpt from the Titan Information Archives.**

The holo-screen in the corner of the bar darkened as the Crash Ball game went to commercial. When the picture returned, a tall mech dominated the screen, colored off-white and blue. " _Good evening, I'm Doctor Samuel H-*_ _ **krsshh*-**_ " the screen fizzled out for a second, " _-and I'm here to introduce you to a rising star in the fields technology. We are…Solaire Optimal Solutions, and we're here for you."_

At the bar, a turian perked up and peered hazily at the screen, listening to the almost ridiculously deep voice of the cyborg.

" _Today, I'm proud to announce a new line of Personal Propulsion Engines. Or,"_ he chuckled deeply, " _they're better known as 'Jetpacks.' Using miniaturized Element Zero cores and impulse engines, Jetpacks are capable of reaching up to a hundred thirty-five kilometers per hour. Easy to control, charge, and maintain, Jetpacks are an affordable alternative to sky-cars or public transportation. All models, from sports, performance and family come with inbuilt safety features for a smooth, comfortable ride, every ride."_

The cyborg passed by a rack of jetpacks some large than others, some sleeker than others, and all in varying colors. " _Jetpacks also come in all shapes and sizes, from the slimmest Salarian to the burliest Krogan and in any color desirable. Come in to your local vehicle distribution center and get your Jetpack certification today. We'll be ready to increase your mobility and personal joy in an increasingly darker Galaxy."_

The cyborg faced the camera straight on, a symbol covering the screen showing a hollow sun, the words ' _ **Solaire Optimal Solutions'**_ contained inside. " _Solaire Optimal Solutions. Optimal Technology, for a Brighter Future."_

 **And there you go. Hope you enjoyed, and a big thanks to NorthSouthGorem, Kurogane7 and Dareigh, and the boys and girls on Xbox! Why not give them all a look, eh? At least the ones who write, you know.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: Christ I'm inconsistent, but I've got a lot of free time in the next two weeks, so look forward to more updates or more likely, a story or two appearing out of nowhere.**

 **Yeah, I know. I can't help it.**

 **Also, guess what started playing when I was writing the nerd-off with Kenn? Red Hot Chili Peppers, the song 'Go Robot.'**

… **I think my laptop's sassing me.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	5. It Took Me More Than Two Months

The door opens up, admitting the two of us into my base of operations. "And this is where the magic happens," I say to Kenn, gesturing grandly at the unpacked crates, "Or will happen, since I haven't really done anything yet. But it's home, for the time being. Pick an empty apartment and settle in, then make sure to introduce yourself to the rest of the crew."

"Who is the rest of the crew?" The quarian asks curiously, adjusting the bag holding all of his possessions on his shoulder.

"There's me, you, Omen (who's passed out right now), my custom-made mech soon, and of course, my all-time best friend and companion, Jade." I spin around to face him, holding up a finger warningly. "Don't freak out."

"Don't freak out about-?" Jade coalesces together in front of him, giving a little wave as he stares down at her. "Huh," he says faintly. "An AI. Alright then."

…Well, that went better than expected. "You didn't freak out, good," I mutter, "She handles electronic stuff like hacking, infiltrating systems, typical AI stuff. If you got any sort of problem with her being here, speak now or forever hold your piece."

"I won't let my species' prejudice, however deserving it is, color my judgement," Kenn says reassuringly. "I'll just let it happen naturally. Nice to meet you, Jade."

"Hi there," she replies with a smile. "I took a look at the fabrication designs you two put together and I was very impressed. I saw a few things that could be tweaked, you can take a look once you're done settling in."

"Sounds…great," he nods, his glowing eyes flickering. "Is there an extra workbench somewhere? I only see the one…"

"Don't worry about," I say, patting his shoulder, "I'll get the fabricator working on another for you, just get settled in and get some sleep, I'm gonna put you to work tomorrow!" I give him a friendly warning as I step over to my bench and crack open my fabricator.

For the most part, my gauntlets don't look too different, with the exception of another button added along the forefinger. Unhooking my spares, I pull them away and set them aside, only to hear a sharp hiss. Turning, I see Kenn still standing awkwardly, his eyes fixed on my bare hands. "Got a lot in common with Quarians," I say casually, even as I feel a burn of shame (and pain) on my exposed skin. "Try not to think about it, I find that helps."

"S-sorry," the Quarian ducks his head and scurries away, but I can still feel his pitying gaze on my skin. I know he didn't mean anything by it, but…I _was_ going to go to bed, but now…

Now I need to kill something.

There are lot of people who need to die on Omega. Might as well get an early start.

Securing Invictus on my hip along with my lightsaber, I leave my base behind and took a walk. Despite the late hour, plenty of people are up and about; some go to work, some are getting off work and relaxing, others are just hanging out. "Jade, tap into the omni-tools within a thirty-foot range," I mutter, shutting off external speakers. "Look for anything suspicious."

There were a few seconds of silence, before Jade replied, "Saul…this is Omega. _Everything_ is suspicious."

"Fair point," I shrug, eyeing a pair of humans hanging at the mouth of a dirty alley. "Alright, narrow the search to anything I'd actually care about."

"Alright, one second…" I see food stands for noodles, various meat buns, fast food, and alien food, but no ice cream shops. What the hell? I _know_ asari love everything sweet, their _alcohol_ tastes sweet, and that's not even getting into the cocktails. Aria runs this place, there should be way more ice cream places! Unless she's hoarding them all to herself, that greedy bitch. "I've got something."

" _-I'm your friend here, kids,"_ Oh yes, that's _very_ suspicious. " _I was doing you a favor, but nothing's free. You owe me for last week."_

" _B-but we don't have any money!"_

"Where?" An arrow pops up on my HUD in response, and I cut behind a smoke shop to delve into the alleys. Gods, this place could only be more obviously shady if there was a blinking neon sign that said ' **SHADY STUFF GOING ON HERE!'** in pink and yellow letters. But, to be fair, the whole station looks like that.

" _That's a shame, kids. But, you know, there are_ other _ways to pay."_

Rounding a corner, I found a Turian looming over a pair of girls, a Batarian and a Krogan stroking shotguns at his flanks. " _Maybe your parents have something valuable? Or…"_

"How about no?" I greet them casually, raising my hands as the pair of mooks aim at me. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, gentlemen. How about I settle these young ladies' debts and we call it good?"

"Get out of here, human," the Turian dismisses with a wave, before throwing an arm out in front of one of the girls, who I just realized is a human. "Not you."

"You heard the man," the krogan rumbles, pumping his shotgun threateningly. "This doesn't concern you."

"It does, actually," I shake my head, subtly wiggling my fingers as Tethers form around the barrels of their guns. "You see, I have this problem where, when I see something bad going down, I can't help but interfere. This has gotten me in trouble, yes, but it's also been good for me. I-"

"Shut him up," the turian sighed.

Clenching my fist and flicking my wrist, I yanked the guns out of their hands. "My throat was getting sore anyway," I mutter, grabbing my lightsaber and flicking it on, driving the blade through the krogan's chest as he stumbles forward. Pulling up, I split his head in half to a pair of gasps, stepping around his fallen body as the batarian pulls his pistol with a roar. Grabbing his wrist, I direct the barrel away from my head as it goes off, and divest him of his arm at the elbow. "Oh quit crying, you big baby."

I turn to give the turian a clever quip about disarming, but he had legged it and left the girls behind, who are now staring at me in mixed awe and horror. At least I can track his omni-tool. "P-please don't kill us," one of the girls begs, and holy shit I just realized that she's a _Batarian._ And a _girl_. I've never seen one of those before! It's like finding a unicorn! A _space unicorn..._

"I didn't jump in just to attack you," I say quietly, shutting down my lightsaber. "How about you tell me what led to all this, and we'll call it even."

Their eyes shoot to the screaming batarian still clutching the stump of his arm. The ARM on my right shoulder pops up and fires, silencing him. They jump, squeaking rather adorably, and I reach out to grab their shoulders, pushing them away from the corpses. "I'll walk you home," I add, walking out of the alley. "The story, girls."

"W-we wanted to try some…some drugs," the human female mutters, rubbing her arm. "Not any of the crazy stuff, just a little Hallex, maybe some Glow Spice. We asked around and they said we should see Turik, the t-turian you scared off. He seemed…nice, gave us a little for free…"

Poor dumb kids. "And let me guess, you liked it so much you went back?"

"Y-yeah," the batarian replies shyly, rubbing underneath her bottom left eye, "We don't have a lot of money, but he still sold us some at a discount…and today, when we ran out…I didn't think he'd _threaten_ us, he seemed so nice…"

"How long have you been living on Omega?" I couldn't help but ask. It's a little odd that some girls, especially teenage ones, wouldn't be suspicious of an overly-friendly drug dealer. Anywhere in the Galaxy, not just Omega. "Also, are you sisters or something?"

"About a month," the human girl answers, smiling and nearly skipping despite me killing two dudes in front of her less than three minutes ago. Christ this girl is innocent. What the fuck is she doing on _Omega_? "We are sisters, though I'm adopted."

…Not the answer I was expecting. "Huh." They turn down a street and I follow, examining the neighborhood. It's one of the nicer ones on Omega, and I can see tags for the Blue Suns up all over the place. Must be a gang-controlled territory. "Blue Suns, huh?"

"Yeah, they run this place," the batarian girl nods, blinking up at me. "We don't have a lot of money because dad and mom have to pay protection, but it's supposed to be safer than other places."

And they probably charge _just_ enough that they couldn't save up and leave, too. "Girls!" A female voice calls, followed by a clatter of boots. A tanned redhead in Blue Suns gear comes running down the street, pausing as she sees me with them. "Let them go, you son of a bitch!" She aims a handgun at me, as do the turian and the human behind her.

"It's okay, Jentha!" The Batarian girls shouts, waving her hands. "He was just walking us home!"

The woman, Jentha, apparently, eyes me suspiciously. "He hasn't done anything bad, has he girls?" She asks carefully, glancing at them.

"No!" The human girl, I should really learn their names, cries, hiding behind me. "Well, I mean, he did kill a couple of guys who wanted to hurt us…"

"Did he now?" The redhead mutters, sighing as she lowers her gun and waves for the others to do so as well. "And what, exactly, were you doing outside of the neighborhood? Your parents are worried sick, and I've been looking for you for thirty minutes!"

The teenagers duck their heads sheepishly, and I answer with a chuckle. "They were out trying to buy drugs." They gasp at me in betrayal. "Oh come on, it's not like it's a bad thing."

"Really? You went out to buy drugs?" Jentha asks incredulously. "What the hell, girls? Why didn't you come to me? I could've pointed you in the right direction! Who were you buying from?"

"T-Turik," the batarian answers embarrassedly, all eyes on the ground.

"What?! That _creep_?!" The redhead scowls at them and the girls take a step back in fear. She sighs, pinching her nose in frustration. "C'mon, girls, it's time to go home. Curic, Sarsa, take 'em home."

The two Blue Suns behind her, both wearing full armor, nod and wave the girls to follow them. The girls slowly walk towards them, giving me waves as they disappear around the corner. I still don't know their names, but I doubt I'll ever see them again. Omega's a big place.

With them gone, it's just me and the redhead. Normally, this would be rather nice. "Thanks for looking out for them," Jentha says, rubbing her temple before narrowing her eyes at me. "Why did you, though? No one does anything for free."

"Truthfully?" She nods, hand inching towards her gun, like we hadn't already gone through this before. "I was bored, and they needed help. Speaking of, this Turik fellow; do you know where he hangs out, or if he works for anyone?"

"…Yeah, he hangs out at a little club two miles down," she replies after a second. "Why do you wanna know?"

"Because I'm going to kill him," I answer casually. "Normally, I wouldn't give a shit if someone gets indebted to a dealer if they're an adult, capable of making their own stupid decisions, but those girls were being taken advantage of. And the way he was talking, it's not the first time. So. I'm going to put a bullet in his head and stop him from doing it again. Simple."

Jentha shrugs. "Alright. He works for a guy named Boorus, a mid-level gangster who owns The Party Supply club."

I cock my head in thought. "They got bounties on 'em?"

"Probably," she shrugs again, arching an eyebrow. "You a mercenary?"

"Bounty Hunter." Fuck yes, it needs to be capitalized. "I'm just starting in the business, need to get my feet wet."

"Oh, you're part of the Guild, then," Jentha nods, brushing her hair back over an ear.

Uh, no. "…The what?" They sound familiar, though.

She gives me a strange look. "…The Bounty Hunters Guild? You know, the people who control pretty much every big-name Bounty Hunter out there?"

"Oh, right," I'd heard about them before, but I was basically a cop. There was little overlap, there, except when an argument over a bounty went from a fist fight to a gunfight. "No, I'm not part of the Guild, I prefer to be my own boss."

"Good luck with that," Jentha shrugs, giving me a searching look. "If you ever want more steady work, I'm sure I could find a spot for you in the Blue Suns."

"Maybe." No. "Later. I got a douche to kill." With that being said, I give her a wave before turning and walking away. Approaching the edge of a walkway, I peer over railing, into the belly of Omega. She said two miles down, right? I've got no need for a sky-car.

As I put my feet on the railings, Jade speaks up. "Saul, what are you doing?"

"Jumping." I dive over the side, keeping my hands to my sides as I fall, the wind rushing over my armor, floors and cars rushing passed as I roll away from traffic. "So, Turik and Boorus, are they in the system at all?"

"Couldn't just take a sky-car, I guess…" she mutters, sighing in my head. "I looked them up and yes, they do have bounties; small ones. Turik is wanted on Palaven for desertion, dereliction of duty, and theft of Hierarchy property, twenty-five thousand credits. His boss, on the other hand…wanted on the Citadel for two counts of public indecency, one count of public drunkenness, and one count of soliciting sex from an officer of the law. Five hundred credits."

I blink. "Wow. Bit of a disparity, there. How'd a deserter end up working for some drunk? Seems like it'd be the other way around." Twisting through a lane of traffic, I check the floors passing me by. "How much longer?"

"Ten seconds," Jade replies, "So, how do you want to handle this?"

Flipping myself over, my jetpack burns to life and I begin to slow. "I figure it couldn't hurt to just walk up and ask to speak to Boorus, no need to go in guns blazing."

There's a few seconds of silence, before my AI Companion speaks up. "…Seriously? You honestly think that's going to work?" Her incredulity tingles in the back of my skull.

"Nope, but no one can say I didn't try," I reply honestly, hovering to the floor and ignoring the people around. "So, where is this 'Party Supply' club?" Glancing around, I see a large sign reading 'Party Supply' with several balloons attached to it. "Found it."

There's a small line leading to the door, and a pair of bouncers flanking it. One is a batarian, the other a human. They frown at me as I skip the line and walk right up to them. "You can't just skip the line," the batarian bouncer growls, while his partner pulls a pistol. "You want to get in, you follow the rules like everyone else."

"I'm not here to party," I say dryly, "I'm here to see Boorus."

"Youse wanna see the boss? Youse gotta make an appointment," the human sneers. I thought New York accents like that went out of style hundreds of years ago. "Otherwise, fuggedaboudit."

"You know, from the way you're treating me, it's almost like you don't see my weapons," I wonder aloud, tapping Invictus with a finger. "Or my armor. It's like you don't think I'm _dangerous_ at all." I lean, peering down at them as my hands are clenching into fists. "I'm trying to be polite, here. Let me see your boss. Now. Do the smart thing."

Please be stupid, please be stupid. I still haven't tested the full capabilities of my upgraded suit.

They glance at each other uneasily, before their expressions firm up.

I smile. Excellent.

When the human whips his gun up towards me, I'm ready. I grab his wrist, twist his arm around to point the pistol at the other bouncer and he fires, the batarian yelping as the bullet pierces his shoulder. Still holding his arm, I bring my elbow down on his, snapping it, then kick the outside of his knee inside. He howls and falls to his knees, while I yank the gun out of his hand and crack him across the back of the head with the butt.

Spinning it around, I level the pistol at the batarian, and he freezes. "Where's your boss?" I ask, his eyes crossing as I press the barrel to the center of his face. "Tell me, and you can drag your friend here to the local clinic."

"…Top floor, biggest door," he replies after an audible gulp. "I already tripped the silent alarm, and he has turrets set up. You go inside, you're dead."

Casually, I toss the gun away. "Been dead before. Didn't take then, won't take now." Without further ado, I kick the doors open. Instantly, the patrons dive for the floor, flipping tables over for cover. More bouncers, or gangsters, probably, rush out with omni-blades and stun batons, while others wield pistols, assault rifles, and shotguns. "No need for the all the artillery, I'm just here to see your boss. Would anyone care to direct me to him?"

My reply was a series of clicks as the safeties were switched off.

"Guess not. Before we do this thing, how about a few ground rules?" No one's attacking me, they seem receptive. Good. "I think we all know that I'm outnumbered, which means _you_ are more likely to get shot by one of your friends; so, no guns. I won't shoot you, you won't shoot me, and we can avoid killing each other and getting blood and bullet holes all over the decor. Sound good?"

The gangsters or bouncers or whatever turn to glance at each other. A lady looks at the turian behind the bar, his rifle pointing at her back. He lowers the gun sheepishly as she scowls at him. "Alright, fine," there was a brief clatter as their firearms were set aside in favor of fisticuffs.

"Glad you're being reasonable," I nod at them, holding up a finger as the first shuffles forward. "And, lastly, music. Gimme a sec." Scrolling through the list, I smile as I find the right one and send it to the speakers. "Mystery Skulls, Hellbent. Now it's a party."

We stand here, staring at each other as the music spins up. Just as the beat kicks in, I step forward and punch the closest bouncer in the face. As he stumbles back, the one next to him swipes at me with a burning omni-blade that I counter, grabbing and snapping his wrist, driving an elbow into his temple before kicking him into the first, knocking them both down.

Two more come at me at once, a turian and batarian; both wielding stun batons. I bat the turian away, but the batarian hits my stomach armor, my Barrier flaring in response. As he strikes again, I step in close, grabbing his wrist with one hand while the other crashes into his stomach, yanking him in front of me as the turian strikes, his baton bending the batarian's elbow the wrong way. Pushing my shield aside, I pull the turian into my knee, land a palm strike to his forehead and as he stumbles back, crack him across the face with open armored hand. He spins around and collapses to the ground, senseless, as a lady bouncer runs at me, throwing herself into a powerful, perfectly-executed karate kick.

I dip aside, grabbing her shin and then her thigh as they pass me, turning with her inertia and throwing her into the rack of drinks behind the bar. Alcohol rains down and I stumble forward as something hits my back, splinters raining down around me as I turn around and find another turian holding the broken legs of a stool. He switches his grip and dives at me, wooden legs held out like stakes.

I land a punch on his jaw, hefting a stool in my hands before smashing it into dust against his torso, sending him flying onto the dance floor. A stun baton cracks against my shoulder as an omni-blade scratches a glowing gouge across my side and I hop back as a human woman and a turian woman attack again. The human stabs at me with her blade and I skip to the side, seizing her arm and pulling her around as the turian swings, clocking her fellow across the face with her baton, the electrical charge in the weapon cracking as the woman gets knocked onto the bar.

Letting out an angry roar, the turian swings again and I catch her arm, twisting the baton out of her grip before driving the handle into her stomach, then swinging it up under her chin. Before she lands all the way, I throw her baton aside and snag her by the foot, twisting and throwing her into the rest of gangsters, bowling them over.

Pausing to laugh to myself, I flinch as glass breaks over my head, sticky alcohol flowing into my collar. I turn a glare on the woman behind the bar, the one I'd thrown as she tried to kick me, and she flinches back. Not far enough. I reach over the bar, grab her by the hair, and bounce her forehead off the solid wooden counter.

Something heavier than a stool breaks against my back, pain lancing down my spine as I whirl around to face the hulking batarian hefting half a table. Half because he'd snapped it on my _jetpack!_ Catching the table by the edge, I yank it forward, him coming along with it, and drive my knee into his crotch. Pulling his makeshift weapon away, I turn it over in my hands and pound him into the floor with it. See how he likes it!

Another batarian lunges at me with an omni-blade and I catch his arm between two of the table legs, twisting it around with a crack before I seize him by the neck, slam his head into the bar, drive my knuckles into his stomach before grabbing a random bottle, shoving the neck into his mouth, and landing a brutal uppercut straight to his jaw.

Blood, beer, glass and teeth fly in equal measure. One of three remaining bouncers, a salarian, throws out his hand as his omni-tool glows, the Overload flying a second later. Electricity dances over my armor for a mere moment, before my gauntlets absorb the free energy and I return it with extra in the form of a Lightning Bolt. He goes flying back with a yelp, breaking through a glass display of a dancer's silhouette.

The last woman standing, a lithe sort with green hair, snatches up a pair of stun batons, twirling them around theatrically before charging at me with a yell. She swings like a crazy woman, blow after blow raining from all sides, my barrier crackling as I shield myself with my arms. She goes for a strong overhead strike and I reach out, grasping the sparking tips of her batons with my hands.

Sharp blue lightning arcs between my fists before I crush the generators into scraps. Throwing them aside, I grab her by the neck and bring her close, driving my helmeted forehead into her nose and it breaks with a meaty crunch.

She reels back, dazed, and her eyes go wide. Not because of me, despite having a hand around her throat, she's looking over my shoulder. Following her gaze, I see two more bouncers, both flicking the safeties off of their pistols. Throwing her aside, I put my arm up as they fire, bullets bouncing off of my shield, chirping a warning as it got low.

The firing stops, as the two have overheated their weapons, and I level my launchers at them. "Cool off." I fire four Cryo Missiles from both of my launchers that slam into the bouncers and burst, covering them in patches of ice. Sprinting forward, I jump and plant both boots into the chest of a trigger-happy dumbass, shattering the ice and sending him flying. I land and turn a look on the other, who's mostly frozen. Reaching up, I yank the gun out of his hand, uncaring of the cracking of either his fingers or the ice, and crack him across the face with it.

Tossing it aside, I hop over the bar and survey my work. Fourteen people lay in moaning piles, clutching injuries that, while painful, weren't lethal. They'd recover in time, the big pansies. But there's one more.

A salarian stands before me, his legs shaking like jell-o as he clutches a stun baton like a life-line. He goes 'Eep!' as I look at him, jumping back like a virgin facing a krogan with his pants down. Slowly, he drops the baton to side and lays down on the floor, clutching his left arm and groaning weakly. "Ow, my arm," he whimpers unconvincingly.

Nodding approvingly, I glance around the room, looking for an elevator or some stairs. It isn't a tall building, maybe three stories, so-ah, there it is. A staircase, cleverly camouflaged to look like the back wall. Skipping up the steps, I take in the second floor.

It's boring. In opposition to the club down below, it might as well look like any lunch room in any office building. "-Rrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" What feels like a freight train slams into my side and I come nose-to-hump with a krogan's back. I'm guessing he's the one who hit me. And is carrying me through several sheets of glass right now. I should probably do-

He slams me into a long table, drinks and bagels flying everywhere and _ow, my back!_ Planting my arms, I drive my feet into his midsection and kick, throwing him over my head. Stretching my neck, I push myself up and face down with the krogan. He's got scars and a mottled grey headplate, but otherwise looks like any other krogan. He pounds his fists together and charges and I dash forward to meet him, locking his hands with mine as we push against each other.

I pull my head back and slam it forward, which was a mistake. The krogan reels back for a brief second, surprised, before he barks out a laugh. "Ha!" Then he headbutts me, my helmet ringing like a bell as he seizes my shoulders and hurls me into a wall, the painting that had been hanging there shattering against my back.

What _fucking_ problem do these guys have _with my back?!_

Rolling up, I lunge at him, catching his arm for leverage while raining blows against his face, but that only seems to excite him. Laughing, he catches my arm and drives his foot right into my crotch.

It fucking hurts, and I fall to a knee.

But it's not as debilitating as it could've been, and I uppercut him square in the quad. He wheezes, stumbling back as he clutches his groin while I slowly push myself back up. "Saul!" Jade hisses, "What _the fuck_ are you doing?!"

"Fighting him, hand-to-hand," I mutter, breathing out harshly.

"You're _Injured, You Idiot!"_ She shouts, which doesn't help the ringing in my head.

Oh, right. As the krogan recovers and charges again, my biotic aura flares to life and I toss a Pull at him. It hits him with a _bong_ and he goes sailing over my head, flailing. "Oh, come _on_!" He shouts, waving his arms wildly.

"Sorry," I shrug, firing my jetpack and leaping, landing a rocket-assisted knee to his face. As he spins around, I wrap my arms around his torso, his head facing down, just as the Pull fades. Firing my pack again, I bodily slam him into the floor, the metal denting under the force.

Shaking myself, I continue up to the next floor, finding it to be just one long, glass hallway that overlooks the club. It gives a clear view of the entire club below, and it's a rather stunning view, aesthetically speaking. The door at the far end is my goal, though, and that goal is hindered by the three turrets that pop out, two on the floor and one on the ceiling.

Slapping my omni-tool, I summon an omni-shield and hunker down behind it. With my free hand, I charge up a Lightning Bolt, ready to fire when Jade says, "Wait!"

"What? This won't hold forever," I reply casually, my eye on the rapidly-depleting strength of my shield.

"I want to try something," my gauntlet sparks oddly and my AI Companion hums. "There, try it now!"

Charging up another Lightning Bolt, the skin along my arms tingles and I throw it out. I may have also shouted, "Lightning Bolt!" but I will deny any accusations.

The Arc energy crosses the distance in an instant, impacting a turret and blossoming out, chaining from that one to the second, then the third, reducing them to the usefulness of a particularly ugly potted plant. "Holy shit, that was Chain Lightning!" I can't help but be excited, flexing my gauntlets and admiring the subtly glowing LEDs.

"Indeed it was," Jade sounds smug, and for good reason. "While I was fabricating the Cryo additions, I was also working on upgrading your Shock Gauntlets. Now, charging up a Lightning Bolt will also chain to nearby targets. See, when the initial Bolt hits, it throws out thin ionized pathways that can connect with other enemies close by, and the energy will follow the pathways. Of course, it chains farther when used against synthetic enemies."

"You're the best, Jade," I say happily as I stride towards the door. The holographic knob on the front turns red as it locks, followed a thicker set of doors that slam down. "Rude."

Flipping my lightsaber up into my hand, I ignite it and plunge it into the edge of the door. "Jade, please adjust my Slam to throw out a wide-angle Sabotage," I ask, sliding my sword through the metal door.

"Done."

When I'm finished, the door is outlined by glowing, melting metal. I take a few steps back before charging forward, driving through the door and carrying it into the room as the bullets begin to fly. Throwing it aside, I leap forward, arms over my head as Arc Energy crackles to life around my hands, and slam my fists into the ground.

Lightning explodes off of me, but far less than usual. Shouts of pain ring out as the eight gangsters in the room recoil, dropping their smoking guns as I stand up, looming menacingly in the center of the room.

A turian sitting behind a desk, his demeanor resigned, raises his hands slowly. "Enough, everyone, we've been beaten-"

A salarian screams wildly and charges at me, windmilling his arms like a dumbass. I kick his tits in and he hits the ground, wheezing. "This was completely unnecessary!" I announce, "Fun, but unnecessary. I only came to talk to Boorus…and to get _you."_ I level a finger at the shaking Turik, who huddles back in a corner.

"Talk to me about what?" The turian behind the desk, Boorus, asks calmly, folding his hands in front of him. "Has Aria finally decided to crack down on me?"

I open my mouth, then pause. That _does_ sound like something she'd do. "…No, I came here to get that asshole," I nod at Turik, who gulps audibly. "He was selling drugs to kids. Normally, I couldn't give a shit what people put in their bodies, but these were kids. That's a big no-no in my book."

Boorus scowls, his chair creaking as he turns to look at the other turian. "This true, Turik?" He asks, menace in his tone.

"H-hell no, boss!" The previously smooth operator waves his hands, anxiety clear in his body language. "This freak just cut Gorig in half and killed Murod randomly! I was just selling and he attacked us!"

It was obvious to everyone that he was lying, the boss man in the room (besides myself) slamming a fist into the desk. "Spirits dammit, Turik! You know we don't sell to kids!" He slumps back in his chair, rubbing his forehead. "I assume you have proof, Violent Stranger?"

Turik breathes a sigh of relief, thinking there was no way I could have anything other than me witnessing it, before his voice comes through my omni-tool. " _-I'm your friend here, kids. I was doing you a favor, but nothing's free. You owe me for last week."_ Oh snap, son.

" _B-but we don't have any money!"_ A low growl begins to emanate from Boorus' throat, his mandibles rattling at the obviously prepubescent voices besides Turik's.

" _That's a shame, kids. But, you know, there are_ other _ways to pay. Maybe your parents have something valuable? Or…"_

"I've heard enough," the turian in charge sighs, waving a hand at Turik, who suddenly finds himself alone in the corner. Which is good, because that was all I had. "Take him."

"Much obliged," I nod, leveling my Cryo Sprayer at the turian and firing. His brief scream is cut off as ice covers his form, leaving a glittering statue leaning against the wall. "Sorry about the mess. I seriously was only coming to talk to you and present my proof." I mean, I didn't try _that hard_ , but the thought counts. To me, anyway.

"Yes, I can see that," Boorus sighs, rubbing his chin and slumping in his chair. "Shit. Today is going to be a big hit on my bottom line."

"Well, you seem like the reasonable sort," I say with a shrug. "You don't sell to kids, you gave up that asshole with proof. You got any other shady business besides drugs?"

The turian sighs again. "What, like slaves? No. I sell drugs, alcohol and the occasional good time with a few prostitutes, who are my _employees_ ," he adds quickly, pointing at me. "I sell _party supplies._ No hard stuff, no dangerous stuff. I even have all the licenses you can get."

"Alright. You know what, here, send me a bill and I'll pay you back for the damages, yeah?" He looks up at me, surprised. "In return, you let me know of any people who sell the hard shit and the slaves. Deal?"

Boorus stands from his desk, reaching out to eagerly clasp my hand. "Deal…whoever you are." And now, I got another source on Omega. Aria can tell me about the big shit that bothers her and thus keep the peace on Omega, and Boorus can tell me about the small shit that bothers him and thus, make the regular people happy. Or peaceful, at least. Win-win.

"Saul Dewitt."

The turian goes still, paling all the way to his crests and gulping as he shakily sits down. "A-ah. Well, pleasure doing business with you. I l-look forward to working with you in the future." Now, he knows my name, knows what I can do. And he got a first-hand view of my ability. If being reasonable won't keep him in line, the _fear_ will.

Hefting my prize on my shoulder, I stride out of the club, the patrons and beaten bouncers shying away in fear. And that? That _feels_ _ **good**_ _._ The less people I have to kill, the less blood on my hands, the less time wasted. All good things.

The satisfaction is better than any painkiller.

…

…

…

…

 _ **(Welcome to the Titan Information Archives. Remember, the Reapers suck.)**_

 _ **Cryo Sprayers/Missiles:**_

 _ **Much like the Flamethrower and Wrist-Mounted Variable-Launcher before it, the Cryo Sprayer is an attachment that sprays super-cooled foam or missiles that spread on impact, eventually freezing a target solid. Targets can be thawed or shattered as necessary, and being frozen makes them easier to transport. Warning: Leaving a target frozen for more than thirty minutes (beside Krogan and Vorcha) will typically kill them via hypothermia. Keep that in mind.**_

 _ **Can also be used to create snow, snow forts, ice walls, and emergency beverage coolant cubes.**_

 _ **Also: Ice puns are not necessary, but appreciated all the same.**_

 _ **-Head Archivist**_

…

 **A/N: Yeah, it took me** _ **way**_ **more than two months. There's been a lot of shit going down, alright? Moving across the country, living in different places, writing other stories while I try to pull together the almost entirely original story-line for this fic. Just a lot of stuff.**

 **But hey, this is the first story I updated in the New Year. Could be a good sign for the year to come, eh?**

 **But, while you're waiting for the next chapter of this, why not check out my other stuff? The Life With Monster Girls, is going to get an update soon, as is An Empire of Dragons, my first Skyrim story featuring my favorite character, Saul. Also look forward to more chapters for Console, Dare To Wander, and probably a couple more.**

 **If you're worried about the fate of this story, don't. My New Year's Resolution was to have at least forty-five chapters, if not the whole story, done by Christmas 2019.**

 **Big thanks, as always, to Dairegh, NorthSouthGorem and AJR3333 for their help. Why not give them all a look at tell them to send me stuff, please?**

 **Austin: How about you send me something for once, huh?**

 **No.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: I'm still open for OC's to appear, but not, as some have mistakenly thought, to be partners/main characters. I'm looking for bit parts, sources, targets, possible allies, whatever. Tertiary characters, if that.**

 **Also fuck-buddies. But only women.**

 **If you got one and a role, send it to me in a PM and also review, otherwise I'm not gonna look at it. I wanna know you read this A/N and understand what I'm going for, alright? They have to be appropriate to the setting, too. I feel like I shouldn't have to say that, but…**

 **Alright.**

 **Also, Mystery Skulls: fuckin' listen to them, they're fuckin' awesome. With the big bar fight scene, I think it works better to read it once, then bring up the song on the Tube or your music player of choice, then listen to it. Tell me how that works for ya.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	6. Welcome to the RUMBLE

I need sleep whenever I can get it, so I decide to grab a nap on the way to the bounty office. Leaving Turik on ice, while quiet, would end up with him turning a crime-sicle, and the bounty specified 'alive', despite my lack of fucks to give about his continued existence. Punching the ice off of him, I flash-fabricated some zip-ties and a gag before tossing the shivering turian into the back of a sky-car and let the autopilot take control.

The bounty office, such as it is, is in Aria's territory. She's the 'law' around here and being a haven for all sorts of criminals, Omega kept a neutral relationship with the various governments. And anything that could be somewhat profitable was allowed as long as Aria got her due, including bounties, obviously.

"Jade, release a little painkillers around my back and neck, please," I ask, grunting slightly as I settled into the chair. Why the hell did I think it was a good idea to fight that many people hand-to-hand instead of just killing them all? Oh right, I'm not entirely a psychopath and I wanted to hurt some people.

"…Should let you suffer, you idiot," she grumbles, even as a tingle of relief drips down my spine. "Next time you want to throw down, maybe think about your situation. I know you were trying to be non-lethal, but I could've adjusted your Slam to release a stunning wave."

…I hadn't even thought of that. Still; "I needed to test the capabilities of the new upgrades," I added, breathing deeply and letting my eyes close.

"You're not wrong," Jade replies grudgingly, "But be more careful, please?"

"I'll try," I murmur, falling asleep.

The ride isn't too long, barely an hour, but the little rest I got helped. Somewhat. Turik was still unconscious but no longer shivering, not that he'd be my problem for much longer. Hefting him onto my shoulder, I carry him through the doors and into a small office indistinguishable from any other office, an asari behind the desk. She looks up as I step in, expression barely changing. "Who and from where?"

"Turik, Palaven," I answer, shrugging as the turina begins to stir. "Can I drop him somewhere?"

"One second," she says, waving for me to bend over. I do so and she jabs him in the neck with something before sticking it into her terminal. A few seconds later and it chimes. "Identity confirmed. Drop him a cell over there." She jerks her head at a row of small cells with only a bench and a toilet.

Hauling my prey over to the first cell, I toss him on the bench and step out, the door closing and locking. My omni-tool chimes as her query touches the system and I type in my code.

"No Guild ID?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Independent."

She shrugs. "After the local tax, bounty totals twenty-three thousand credits. Palaven always pays well for deserters. Good day."

Nodding, I step out and call another sky-car. Time to get some real sleep.

If the nightmares let me, that is.

…

"Goddamnit," I mutter, barely catching an errant metal limb as it rolls off the work bench. "Why did I decide to assemble him by hand again…? Oh, morning Kenn."

"Ah…morning," he yawns, scratching his neck through his suit. "Is that the mech we discussed?"

"Yup. Wanna help me put him together?" I ask, attaching a leg to a knee joint and locking them together.

"Sure…but, why-?"

"Sometimes you just gotta use the personal touch when you're creating something significant," I cut across, securing a thigh structure. "It's something special, so I'm going to treat it special, you know?"

"I do," he answers, approaching the bench from the other side and taking up a spanner, "But perhaps we should let the fabricator handle the joints and such?"

"Fair enough," I nod, setting my tool aside. "Now we only need one thing." I lit my omni-tool, opened the app, and started blasting music. The pounding of the drums, the tearing of the guitar and the thrumming of the bass all mixed together into a rhythm that lead us along as we created. It felt like mere seconds passed while the skeletal frame of what would one of the most kick-ass mechs in the galaxy grew, but as I stopped to check my chrono, I realized it had been well over two hours.

" _-!"_

Taking the spanner from Kenn, he holds a piece of the pelvis in place as I secure it, moving the leg attached to it to make sure the articulations are smooth. They are and we trade tools as I hold the other piece in place and he gets it done.

 _Donk!_ An empty water bottles bounces off the side of my helmet, knocking me out of my focus. Turning, I spot the perpetrator leaning against her prefab building looking like death warmed over. "Finally awake, Omen?" I ask after turning down the music.

"I…have been hurling…my guts out…for the past hour and a half," she gasps, clutching her stomach and glaring. "Would you please… _please turn down the FUCKING MUSIC!"_ Her shout echoes impressively, though it's a tad ruined when she nearly falls over, shivering with a hand over mouth.

"Hangover from hell, eh?" Turning around, I walk to a nearby crate and crack the lid. Inside are several cans of soup, of various flavors. Grabbing a random one, I roll it across the floor to the glaring xenophile. "Have some soup, that'll make you feel better. Bed rest and water, too."

"I'm aware," Omen grunts, grabbing the can and heaving herself up, "Just keep the music down…please."

"Will do!" I flash her a thumbs-up and a wink, though she doesn't seem to appreciate it from her eye roll. Returning to the workbench, I start building the spine structure as Kenn finishes up on the legs. "Jade, how's the program coming along?"

"Slowly," she growls, her avatar flickering to life where the head would go. "I'm trying to feed it combat data I recorded from previous fights, but it's insisting that it needs fresh, recent data for complete synchronization." Kenn pauses and shoots her a look, one of his fingers worrying at his spanner. "What?"

"'Complete synchronization'?" He asks cautiously. "With what?"

"Me," I reply, locking a piece in place, "It's a combat mech, my support. I'm good at what I do, so it needs to fill in the gaps. And for that, it needs to know what I can do. But from the way it sounds, seems like you want to disassemble it down to binary and start another iteration, huh?"

Jade sighs, crossing her arms. "Yeah, but I've put a lot of time into this one. Three whole days!" Her hair whips as she shakes her head before fixing me with a look. "Now you have no excuse to put off investigating that base now."

"Kinda do, actually," I wave my hand the spine slowly coming together, "This is a two person job, especially when the gels come into play. Not to mention that, once we have the data, it's going to want to put its skills into practice immediately. And if the body's not done by then, well…"

She gives me a level, dry look before her data streams hitch. "Querying…" After a moment, she sighs. "It finds your reasonings…acceptable. But please, hurry up!" She nearly begs.

"We'll try," I assure her, reaching for another spine piece even as Kenn hesitantly continues on the legs. "But, you know…having a structural overlay so we don't misplace any pieces _would_ speed us up a bit…"

I look at Jade.

She looks at me.

I blink.

She blinks back. "Generating overlay…"

…

We worked on the mech for two days straight, only stopping to eat, drink, sleep and go to the bathroom. Well, me and Kenn did. Jade always has at least three things going at once and Omen spent her time recovering from the purge her system underwent. Like I imagined, once the gels got involved, shit got complicated. Layering Impact Gel between the armor and the limbs, the mixture we created around the major joints…after that, threading the artificial muscle fibers and placing the batteries was easy.

There wasn't much left to do, just a few simulations, minor tweaks and such, and thus my excuses were no longer valid. Closing the welding app on my omni-tool, my visor depolarized and I turned to Kenn who was brushing the section of shoulder armor he'd just finished. "You good to take care of the rest?"

"Of course," he nods, leaning tiredly against the bench, "I might take a nap afterwards. Though, I'm not sure I could sleep, I've had so many ideas rattling around in my suit."

I paused as a thought occurs. "Any of those ideas involve vehicles?"

He gives me an odd look. "…Yeah. Why?"

"I've got something brewing, but let me see if I can get the materials first," I reply, holstering Invictus and my lightsaber at my thigh and hip respectively, Medusa and Tyrant on my back. Walking to Omen's door, I opened it to find the hacker sitting at her terminal, frowning at the screen. "What's with the face?"

"This setup sucks," she answers bluntly, leaning back and gesturing at the room. "I can barely work like this! I need my gear!...except those assholes have _definitely_ destroyed all our stuff by now."

I shrug. "Make as list of what you need and send it to Jade, she'll handle it. While I'm gone, I want you to compile a data packet of all the people involved in whatever conspiracy you dug into." There's already two that I know of, and this Galaxy ain't big enough for three.

"Yeah, I'm on it," Omen replies and grabs the bowl of soup next to her terminal, pausing as the rim touches her lips. "…Who's 'Jade'?"

…Oh right, she was unconscious when I got introduced Jade to Kenn. Holding out my hand, her green avatar coalesces in my palm. "This is Jade, my AI Companion. Jade, Omen, Omen, Jade."

"Nice to meet you," Jade greets her with a smile and a wave. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you."

"…Thanks," the hacker says slowly, cautiously leaning back as her right hand comes up to grip her left arm protectively. Turning a flare on me, she hisses, "You have an _AI?_ What the hell, man?!"

Hey now. "She's also my best friend, Omen. Do you have a problem with Artificial Intelligences?" I ask carefully, arching an eyebrow. Gonna make working together a bit more difficult if she does.

"Well…" Her eyes flicker from my frowning companion to me and back again. "Are you sure you can trust it?"

 _ **"Her,"**_ I growl, and the xenophile jumps. "I have trusted her with my life for years, and will continue to do so until I _die_. Do you. Have a problem. _With that?"_

Omen shakes her head quickly, clutching her arm. "No! Just…I've heard the stories, you know? The Geth…"

"And I lived them, remember?" I remind her archly, "So you can believe me when I say that, without Jade, I couldn't do a _fraction_ of the shit I can do now." I sigh and shake my head, turning to leave, but not without a parting comment. "I'm not saying you _have_ to get along, just…keep an open mind. You'd probably get along."

With that said, I let the door close and make my way outside. The unused hangar I park in is only a few blocks away from my base, so I don't bother to call in an aircar. My boots pound pavement as I go, the noise echoing off the empty facades of the empty warehouses that make up the area.

I try not to let Omen's words bother me, mostly because I know how amazing and loveable Jade can be, it's just…you'd think someone who tried to surgically become an alien because she loves them so much would be more open-minded.

 _"You're brooding,"_ One of the subjects of my thoughts whispers in my ear, a comforting tingle spreading from the back of my skull. _"You said it yourself, she just has to form her own opinion of me."_

"I know, it's just the irony of a xenophile being distrusting of a different intelligence is mind-boggling," I mutter, scratching the jaw of my helmet. "But whatever." The ramp of the _Scarab_ descended as I approached, the interior lighting up as I sat my ass in the chair. "What's the name of this base again?"

" _Pinnacle Station,"_ Jade replies, my fingers hitting switches, the engines humming to life. Smoothly, I lifted us off and headed out into space, my eyes landing on the hellish red core of the Terminus Relay. Soon, you chitinous motherfuckers. _Soon._

"Will they even let me dock? My consultant contract with the Alliance expired with my death, you know." Rumors of my death being unexaggerated and the Council, and more importantly Anderson, being aware of my living status aside, I doubt whoever runs the place would be appreciative of heavily armed, murderous cyborg with issues showing up out of the blue.

…

 _ **THE RUMBLESPHERE**_

That's what the massive neon letters read as they were circling around the glowing, spherical space station hanging out in an asteroid belt like a lazy extra sun and his slacker friends.

 _"…The fuck?"_ Jade asked incredulously, and I share the sentiment. Given the rather generic name, I'd expected a simple, prefab base in an asteroid or a space station, not…whatever the _hell_ this is.

"…Are we at the right coordinates?" I ask, pulling up the screen to check and yes, despite my disbelief, we are. "Huh. Argos Rho, Phoenix System. Checks out."

 _"There's a message broadcasting on every channel nearby,"_ my Companion informs me, bringing it up on the screen. Instantly, my senses are assaulted with strobing lights and pulsing music.

" _You just hit the jackpot, sugar,"_ a smoky, sultry feminine voice drawls, " _You've found your way to the Rumblesphere, the shining oasis in the dark of space. Here, you can have it all, anything you_ _ **want…"**_ the voice practically moans and even though the screen shows just the outside view of the sphere, I still somehow feel like I'm watching porn. "… _If you're willing to pay the price. And what is the price, you may ask? I'm open to_ _ **anything**_ _, sugar. Credits? Of course. Treat yourself to a stay at the grandest hotel in the galaxy, where your room could be anything, anywhere…"_

The screen slowly zoomed through the lobby of an ostentatious hotel, plush red rugs stark against pure white marble, all of the waitstaff being beautiful examples of every species, even the batarians and the krogans. Then it moved to a room, which shifted from a large round bed draped in sheets to an open chaise lounge type beneath a silk blanket of starry skies and nebulae to a bearskin rug before a romantic fire.

" _If your more of the…_ _ **hands on**_ _, type, then why not impress me with your prowess in the ring? Those who_ _ **really**_ _give me and the crowd a show will get whatever…or_ _ **whoever**_ _they desire…and the chance to battle it out in the greatest tournament to ever hit the galaxy…the Rumblesphere."_

It began to show a vast array of arenas, all different from the others. A verdant jungle of thick tree trunks choked with vines, a deserted island with white sand and swaying palm trees, an industrial complex rusted and crumbling into ruin, a massive amount of pillars scattered around a box arena, rolling green hills of lush grass, a Roman colosseum with a giant marble throne in the middle…too many to count, really.

" _With your winnings, you can do_ _ **anything**_ … _take your chances in my casino, roll the dice against chance with Lady Luck on your arm…or dine on the finest foods prepared by masters of the culinary arts…or relax and delve into the pleasures of the flesh in the largest brothel to ever exist."_

My eyebrows went up as the already-sultry narration took a turn for the erotic as the images on screen went from gaudy, flashing buildings to a darkly-lit room filled to the brim with beautiful, scantily-clad people. Men, women, human, turian, asari, salarian, batarian, quarian, krogan, drell, hanar, _volus, elcor_ and…blue skin, horns, hooves…was that a fucking _draeni?!_

" _Anyone you could possibly want…all of it could be yours in the Rumblesphere. So come on down, dock your vessel and_ _ **come inside**_ … _I'll be waiting for you…"_ And then it ended, the last image being that of the outside of the station before it looped.

Silently, Jade shut it off. "So," I begin after a minute, scratching my jaw, "Am I the only one who felt like we just watched an ad for a phone sex line?"

" _Yes,"_ she replies shortly, and then goes silent for a few seconds. " _Well, you won't have to deal with the Alliance anymore. Just… some random woman running a giant brothel/casino/gladiatorial arena. Should be fun, if nothing else."_

"Interesting, at least," I agree, directing the ship in closer…which takes a few minutes, because the station is bigger than I originally thought. It has to be at least five, six kilometers around. A moment later the terminal chimes as the landing coordinates are fed to the system and the autopilot takes control. It guides us towards a split in the center, and up close I can see that the station is shaped somewhat like a pokeball with a ring around the equator and circular entrances on four sides. And as my ship approached, the entrance split and formed into pair of gigantic, plump lips that blew a kiss, smiled, and opened wide to swallow us.

Down the 'esophagus,' _I guess_ , there are rings with words writing themselves as we come close. _Once you come inside, you'll never want to leave._ Another followed, reading: _I'll take you deep and never let you go._ Points for sticking to her theme, I guess, even though it was starting to make me feel weird. The _Scarab_ barely jolted as we set down and I strode down the ramp with my hand hovering near my gun.

As I soon as I step out, I'm greeted by a woman with frankly ridiculous proportions. Enormous breasts made more prominent by the red leather corset she wears, exposing a cavernous amount of cleavage with a red heart tattoo on the left breast; an open red jacket with gold trim, a wasp-thin waist pronounced by a flaring half-skirt thing, wide hips and juicy thighs straining against artfully torn stockings, calves encased in white knee-high boots. And her face; pale, not unnaturally so, circles of blush on her cheeks with a narrow chin and high cheekbones. Heart-shaped, with rich, curly and slightly messy like she'd just finished rolling around in bed type of hair with large, oddly innocent grey eyes and plump, pouty lips. Every inch of this woman screams _**SEX**_ , like someone condensed all the desired features of a woman into one body and then exaggerated them.

I don't believe it's real for a damn second. _No one_ looks like that naturally.

"Well hey there, sugar," she smiles sultrily, brushing her hair away from her face only for it to fall in the exact same place. But it did make parts jiggle, and that's nice. "Mysterious armor, mysterious ship, heavily-armed…the question is, did _you_ hit the Jackpot? Or did _I_?"

My vision flashed and distorted, the woman going into slow motion as words were stamped onto my eyes.

 _ **MADAME MOXY - LOOKS, BRAINS, INNUENDO - THE GREATEST (SHO)WOMAN IN THE GALAXY**_

"Gah!" I blink hard, trying to shake the spots out of my eyes. "What the fuck was _that?!_ "

"Just a little flash, sugar," she replies, looking very amused as I rub at the front of my helmet like it'll help my eyes. "I like to make memorable entrances."

"Having an image seared into your retinas _is_ memorable, I guess," I mutter, finally blinking my vision clear. "How'd you do that, though?"

" _Saul…"_ Jade begins, sounding oddly nervous.

"Follow me, sugar. Let's talk and walk," Moxy turns and struts off, swaying her hips so violently she could knock over a building on accident. "Do you know what this place used to be?"

"Some sort of training facility, where people could fight hard-light projections," I answer, following along, my eyes sweeping the glittering hall.

"Ugh," she waves her hand dramatically, "Can you imagine? Using technology like _that_ for _training_? Such a lack of imagination. But I saw the potential in this place, in the tech, how they were squandering it. So I… _acquired_ it. And let my imagination run _wild._ For instance…"

We emerge into an arcade of some sort. People of all sorts walk along golden roads, advertisements blare their wares from signs and billboards, shops line the street as do scantily-clad men and women, posing provocatively and whistling. My heart skips a beat as I spy a familiar head of blue hair on the corner, beckoning towards me and winking one yellow eye. I barely avoid tripping as my heart pounds. "Is that…?"

"Zaira Shepard, the Hero of the Citadel?" Moxy answers, looking over her shoulder and winking. "Not the real thing…but solid enough. Heroines your type?"

"No," I say gruffly, turning my outbound sound off. "Jade, disable whatever program allows whoever that is to look like that. _No one desecrates Zaira's memory."_ Turning it back on, I ask, "What do you mean by solid?"

" _Hard_ -light, sugar," she replies, stopping and throwing her hands out, "Almost everything you see here, from the streets to the buildings…hard-light. Hard-light, programs and specially-designed robots." The showoman crooks a finger at a nearby asari, who strolls over with a giggle. Throwing her arm around the prostitute, Moxy strokes her cheek and tugs on her lip. "You can't even tell the difference."

Slightly stunned, I reach out and grab the…projection's (?) hand and squeeze it experimentally. There's an odd stiffness to it, but only noticeable because I was looking for it. My hand moves up her arm, pressing against the muscle when she playfully slaps my hand away. "First touch is free, sweetheart," the projection says with a girly wink and a giggle, "The rest you gotta pay for."

"How the hell…?" I turn to Moxy, who has her hands on her hips and is smiling widely, "How did you do this?"

"Ah-ah-ah," she admonishes me with a playfully finger-wag, "We don't know each other well enough for that. You're interesting, but not _that_ interesting. But if you pique it, maybe we can talk more…in-depth."

"Alright, how?" The asari projection struts off.

"Play some games, win some money, whatever will draw my attention," Moxy shrugs, sitting on a stool that hadn't been there before, "I do like strong, dangerous people…the Rumblesphere is always a good way…physical demonstrations always loosen me right up…"

I blink. "Are you…telling me to level-grind reputation with you?"

She winks. "Got it in one."

I hold a finger and turn the sound off. "Jade, your thoughts? Do you we think we can just scan whatever we need and get out of here?"

" _No,"_ she sighs, and I can almost see her run a hand through her hair in frustration, " _I've been scanning as well as I can, but projection is blocking anything deeper than surface-level. We'd have to grab one and take it apart to figure it out. You wanted to gather combat data for him and we_ need _this tech, so…it's time to play some games."_

"Alright, I'm in," I say, turning to Moxy. She grins and hops off her stool, which disappears in flakes of light. She beckons me to follow and I do, walking passed a bar filled with hooting drunks as they watch a screen depicting some type of sport.

As we get closer to wherever she's leading me, the shops change; still the odd bar and brothel, but more weapon and armor shops pop up. "If you really want to impress me, the next Rumblesphere tournament is coming up," The mistress of this den of vice says, smirking over her shoulder, "The Champion gets to do _whatever they want_ …within reason, but I've got an open mind…"

"What if I want you?" If she managed to take this station from whoever had it last and turned it into _this_ , she's gotta have some connections that could be useful.

"Oho, shooting for the stars, ain'tcha sugar?" Moxy giggles, coyly batting her eyelashes. "As I said, within reason and I am _very_ reasonable."

"…Allow me to rephrase," I say after a second, "What I mean is, your tech. I want to see what I could do with it. And maybe if you have any connections that could be useful. I'm a Bounty Hunter, you see, just starting out."

"Well, the Rumblesphere tournament is widely viewed, if you're good enough, your name will get spread around," she waves it off as she leads me into one of the grander buildings, massive sign proclaiming to be the 'home of the most Badass arena in the galaxy.' "Anyway, that's all talk, how about action? Show me why I should spend my time with you, then we can talk. Before you enter the ring, though, you need a name."

"…My name is Saul," I say slowly.

"No no no, a _stage_ name, something fearsome, memorable, but also makes sense in the context of your skills," she expounds, tapping her chin in thought.

…Might as well go with a classic. "The Mysterious Stranger."

Moxy gives me a pitying look. "Oh, sugar…no. That's about as generic as it gets."

I scowl and cross my arms. "You got anything better?"

"Hmm," her eyes rove my body, landing on my guns and the launchers on my wrists. "Looks like you're prepared to take on a horde…an onslaught of enemies…" Her eyes widen and she snaps her fingers in realization. "There it is! Onslaught!"

…Well, it could be worse. "Alright, fine, I'll go with that," Even has my name hidden in there, too. "Now, what's next?"

"Now…" She leans on a wall-mounted terminal seductively, "Now you sign up, get in there and show me if I should be interested in you. Good luck, sugar." And with wiggle of her fingers, she dissipates into flakes of golden light that face before they hit the ground.

…Huh. "Did you know she was a projection the whole time?" Now that I think about it, I should've wondered, if she runs the place, how did she have time to walk some new guy around?

 _"This WHOLE PLACE scans as a hard-light projection!"_ Jade growls, before sighing hard. _"It's like looking into a lightning storm and being asked to identify one specific bolt after staring into it for hours! I didn't know_ I could _get a headache, but I damn sure do now!"_

"What about the Luna AI?"

 _"…From things other than that."_

"Alright, well, I can deal with whatever comes next, you rest for a bit." I type in my information and the rest, and the terminal spits out a card. Doesn't look like much, but it'll track my progress and act as a key for various arenas and other things. Following the signs on the hallway down to a door, I insert my card and it clicks, opening into another corridor. At the very end, I can see a plain, concrete circle.

Just before the opening, I stop and take a deep breath. I don't know what I'll face out there, but what I do know is that I'll face it down like I always do: head-on, with overwhelming destructive force and style.

"Alright," I breathe, rolling my shoulders, "Let's do this."

…

…

…

…

 **A/N: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate.**

 **More to follow.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: Would've written more, got a migraine and a fever.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	7. A Vengeful Spirit

_"For some reason or another, they've decided they no longer need to answer to an authority."_

He had barely rounded the corner when he heard the airlock door hiss as it closed. His gun came up to sweep the empty hall, the safety clicking off. Everyone except other guards should've been busy or asleep, though a wanderer wasn't out of the question. Ever since the decision had been made, anxiety had abounded.

His gun lowered after a moment and he approached the terminal, reviewing its operational logs, pausing as he noticed that it didn't record as opening a few moments before. There was a subtle rasp of metal on metal behind him and he spun only to see a brief flash.

He paused uncertainly, then felt his perspective shift as his head tumbled from his neck in a spray of blood.

Farther inside, two guards leaned against a wall, chatting as they swept the hall. "-Feels kinda weird, being on our own."

"Yeah, well, who would we turn to?" The other replied, folding her arms.

"I don't know, but…hey is that, Crey?" The first stood up as footfalls echoed towards them. "Crey, do you feel weird, too?"

The footsteps stopped and there was a brief, awkward silence. Then came a shuffling and something sailed through the air, bouncing on the floor just short of them and rolling oddly.

A helmet, blood trailing from the severed head still contained inside, wobbled to a stop between them.

There was a moment of complete stillness.

Her hand flew up to her comm and she began to yell. A silver blur impacted her face and she fell back, a tomahawk embedded in her skull. He raised his rifle and another throwing axe cut the air, digging into the side of his neck. He fell back with a gurgle, rifle slipping from his nerveless fingers.

The air distorted as a boot landed on his chest, his shaking eyes watching in horror as the invisible enemy reached down and yanked the axe from his neck. Blood gushed from the wound and the blackness crept up over his vision until it was all he could see.

Two women clad in the uniform of scientists strode down a hall, one nervously fidgeting with her sleeves. "Should we have left?" She fretted, eyes darting about, "I know what happened was bad-"

"Bad?" The other snorted derisively, "It's _inhumane,_ apparently a word they've never heard of."

"But is it worth the danger?" The first squeaked, now worrying her fingers. "I mean…"

They came to a stop, rounding the corner to find one of the guards asleep in her chair. "What's McLain doing, sleeping at a time like this?" The second scientist asked, stomping over to the guard and shoving her shoulder. "McLain! Wake up this is…t-this is…"

The guards slumped over, a river of blood flowing out of a gaping neck wound, hidden and contained by her chin resting on her chest.

The second scientist opened her mouth to scream, only for a blade to emerge from between her lips. Steel slid against bone and the blade withdrew, leaving the body to collapse bonelessly.

The first whimpered as cold metal, the edge soaked in rapidly cooling blood, pressed against her throat. "P-please…" She whimpered, tears spilling from her eyes, "I-I didn't want to, they outvoted me, I-I wanted to continue, please…"

 _"They made their decision. Once they realize the consequences of their actions, they may beg for mercy. Betrayal deserves_ none. _"_

A scientist, his uniform more elaborate with a large patch, looked up from his microscope as a thump came from the door. "I asked to not be disturbed!" The first noise was followed by a second, then a third. Sighing, he pushed away from the table and approached the door, running a hand over his hairless head. "Listen, I know the decision wasn't what everyone wanted, but the majority agreed-" The door hissed open and a body fell through, landing in his arms. "…What?"

The lights turned red. An alarm began to blare. " _Something's inside the base! It's slaughtering everyone! Get out! Evacu…no. It's in here! No! No, god please no! Ple-!"_ The visceral noise of sharp metal tearing through flesh and bone echoed over the PA, followed by a meaty thump and the line going dead.

Dropping the corpse, the head scientist sprinted down the hall, the alarm ringing after every breath, the pounding of his heart creating a song of terror that echoed through his body. His steps squished and he stopped in shock after rounding a corner.

Bodies lay scattered throughout the room, resting against walls or lying spread-eagle on the floor, the red lights making the very walls themselves seem drenched in blood.

Then the alarm stopped. The lights returned to normal and he saw pools and lakes of life-fluid, carmine ribbons carelessly slung on the walls.

His breath came harshly, tearing at his lungs. Everyone he'd known…dead. His fellow scientists, their faces…they were twisted in fear, grimaces of agony permanently locked on their visage forever more.

Then he heard footsteps. But he hadn't moved. And no one else was alive.

He ran, his shoes splashing in the blood. The noise echoed after him, like another was following in his footsteps. Sweat traced down his forehead, stinging at his eyes. His feet carried him to another room, his hand lashing out to hit the button, the door slamming shut behind him with a comfortable crash. Then he heard scratching from the other side.

Racing to the terminal behind his desk, he opened the messenger and began to send his files. The last message from his mysterious contact still lingered on his screen, even as the progress bar began to fill.

He leaned on the terminal, a hand supporting his head as he watched the bar, desperately trying not to think about the people he knew - he'd _known._ About their bodies lying discarded about the halls like old trash.

He noticed a red gleam, and was confused. Nothing in the room was red, even the terminal was blue.

Then he realized it was coming from behind him.

He spun on his heel and gasped as a blade slipped under his ribs. His heart fluttered painfully under the blade piercing the organ, his eyes widening as he gazed into the hellish red of a single, large optic set in a helmet.

The sword withdrew and he collapsed, the creeping chill of death draining the warmth from him. "…Why?" He asked.

He could see the figure now, the invisibility fading to reveal a tall figure, black suit underneath bone-white armor. A sword sheathed on its back, a pair of tomahawks at its waist. It typed at his terminal, the bar disappearing. " _ **Why?"**_ It replied, turning to look down at him, speaking in a sibilant, almost bubbling hiss like blood escaping from a freshly-hewn trachea, " _ **You know why Doctor Mulligant. When you tread on the Cerberus' toes…the heads snap."**_

The doctor slumped back on the floor, his eyes fluttering shut. Before it all faded away, he heard the murderer speak once more. " _ **The base has been cleared, all targets eliminated. The head scientist attempted to transfer data. I ended it, though some was corrupted. Get me out of here. Revenant, out."**_ And then darkness took him.

…

…

…

…

 **A/N: I said more would follow, didn't I? Well…**

… **more to follow.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: The next chapter will have an actual note. And be an actual chapter.**

 **~still Soleneus**


End file.
